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Kiwano Melons will catch your eye
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The Kiwano "horned" melon. Photo by Dalberg.
The Kiwano melon (also known as a horned melon) cannot be overlooked once spotted in the produce section of the grocery store. The fruit seems alien, and is quite unknown in the United States. With its orange oval body and horns—which are sharper than they seem—the fruit is a native to Africa, although it is being harvested in New Zealand as well as parts of California.
The outside of the fruit may seem strange, but the inside is even stranger. Cutting the fruit in half, we see the fruit is a bright green, filled with seeds. Each seed is surrounded by a gooey jell-o pack, which is actually the “meat” of the fruit. This is where anyone with texture issues may want to avoid this melon. It took some getting used to when I first tried it (actually, I spit my first bite out). It tastes like cucumber flavored jell-o shots. At first, I thought I had to spit every seed out as I went along, but the seeds are edible; thin and easy to swallow. Spitting every seed out would be nearly impossible, anyway.
When choosing your Kiwano melon, look for firm yellow-orange fruit. Soft, dark orange melons are past their prime. The melons are fairly expensive, however, usually around $3.99 each. The fruit is high in vitamin C.
The good news, despite the lack of flavor we are used to in the United States (we expect our fruit to be sweet and juicy—almost sugary—which this is not) is that the melons are easily harvested in Zimbabwe (they are called 'gaka') and the seeds are spread if the fruit is left to rot.
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