Few things make me more excited than weird fruit.
Ok, it’s not actually weird, but it’s more unique – fruit that’s new to me – something that has naturally grown on a tree that I’ve never tasted before.
Wood apples in Sri Lanka, cempedak throughout Southeast Asia, and that unique egg yolk fruit in Thailand, are just a few examples.
And then, in the unlikely place of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, walking though the organic produce store, I came across something that caught my eye.
It was a thorny little guy, and the bright multiple shades of orange skin made it stand out with beauty.
They were rather expensive at $3.99 a fruit, but there’s no holding me back when I need to try a new fruit.
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What is a Kiwano Melon?
Looking at the label, I saw it was a kiwano melon, or another name, the horned melon.
Before eating, I did a little research about the melon, discovering that it’s native to Africa, and especially eaten in the southern section of the continent around the Kalahari dessert. It grows well with little water.
The kiwano grows on a vine, and it’s part of the cucumber family of fruits. A host of vitamins and plenty of fiber make it quite a nutritious thing to eat.
Eating a Horned Melon
So there I was, faced with the task of sampling and devouring two horned melons, a fruit I had never even seen or heard of before walking through the grocery store in Phoenix.
The beauty of the fruit continued as I sliced it in half and found a bright green interior; Green and orange are two of my favorite colors.
I grabbed a spoon and began to dig in.
How does it taste?
First of all, the seeds are incredibly tough and hard to chew. They have the same texture as a cucumber seed, but they are much tougher.
Around each of the seeds is a gel like membrane that’s sort of soupy, and sort of jello-like.
I had to chew the seeds until I could chew no more and then just swallow the entire bite. Texture wasn’t the greatest due to the seeds (but after reading about it, some say they separate the gel from the seeds).
Overall, it had the freshness of a cucumber, mixed with the sweet and sourness of a kiwi fruit. The overall flavor was quite excellent, not too sweet, and almost lemony.
Apparently, it’s possible to eat the shell as well, but I didn’t know that at the time, so I didn’t have a chance to eat the skin.
The Verdict
Unlike the king of fruits touching my lips for the very first time years and years ago, where I nearly cried with overjoy, the kiwano was alright, but not amazing.
I would buy it again (if it was cheaper), but probably try to use it in a smoothie or a cocktail or something like that.
Have you ever tried a kiwano melon?
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Spinner Tools
7 months ago
Very nice, indeed.
High Rated Gabru
2 years ago
Interesting food blog. I’ll definitely try it.
sankar singh
2 years ago
never hear of such fruit ..KIWANO not even name .looks like something relate to harry potter story .
sankar singh
2 years ago
never hear of such fruit ..KIWANO not even name .looks like something relate to harry potter story . how this fruit taste like ?
lam
5 years ago
i have a presentation on this topic and i am confused on what exactly to do. i needdddddddddd helppppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zara @ Backpack ME
9 years ago
I tried it in Ecuador but it wasn’t nearly as expensive and the ones you bought!!
It was good, but not the best I had in the country, as Ecuador has PLENTY of amazingly fresh and tasty fruits… all available everywhere and for a very good price too!
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Hey Zara, glad to hear you’ve tried this fruit too!
David
9 years ago
Funky fruit … I’ll have to keep an eye out for them locally!
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Let me know how you like it when you can find it David!
Rob
9 years ago
I’ve never heard of it, but I swear I saw a similar fruit in the supermarket this last week. As a fellow fruit lover, I might have to stop by and try it!
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Hey Rob, hope you can try it!
Patty
9 years ago
Actually begun to see this fruit in Kenyan fruit and veg kiosks last year. Bought one but cut into it before it had fully ripened so my own experience was not a happy one. Cost 30/- each and are smaller than what is in your pictures. Will probably just stick to our sweet watermelon. Here’s hoping the king of fruits makes its way down here too. I’d love to try it.
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Thanks for sharing Patty. When I was living in Kenya, I had never seen it before. Glad you got to try it!
Arti
9 years ago
That seems quite cool, what with the bright orange peel and the greenish inside! Never seen or heard about it till now, hope I get to try it out sometime! Thanks for this Mark 🙂
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Thanks Arti, yah, I really loved the colors as well!