Kiwanos , also known as horned melons or African horned cucumbers, look pretty darn cool – so cool, my wife once made a 3D version for a design assignment and bought me one when we spotted them in a German supermarket this winter. Kiwanos are the fruit of a vine, Cucumis metuliferus, native to Africa and related to cucumbers and melons, and are bright orange with pinkish red highlights, with, well, lots of horns:
Looks awesome, right? Well, wait till you open it up! The inside is very rigidly compartmentalized, in a way that requires a grapefruit spoon, and contains lots of bright green seeds most similar to cucumbers:
Let me tell you – it’s hard work to eat a kiwano. Delicious, with a tartness that is well balanced with a hint of sweetness and a flavor oddly reminiscent of zucchini paired with cucumber, and refreshing through the high water content, but hard, hard work. You’ll need a sharp knife, a grapefruit spoon, patience and determination when dealing with all of the seeds. Strong wrists help, too. We later learned that the recommended method is to halve the fruit around the middle, rather than like in the above picture. Oops!
Now, calorically, this is quite a wonder with only 25 calories per fruit (and these are good sized fruits) and a ton of Vitamin C – 40% of your daily needs. There’s also a bit of iron, calcium and Vitamin A, but mostly, kiwanos seem to be water and vitamin C.
Is it worth the work? Yes, but only if you like a rather “unfruity”, watery fruit. I wouldn’t eat this regularly, but it’s a tasty, quite different from other fruit treat that I’d enjoy when in the right mood. I recommend trying it, it sure is an experience!
What’s the coolest looking fruit or other food you’ve had? Or which looks so cool you really want to try it?
Kiwanos , also known as horned melons or African horned cucumbers, look pretty darn cool – so cool, my wife once made a 3D version for a design assignment and bought me one when we spotted them in a German supermarket this winter. Kiwanos are the fruit of a vine, Cucumis metuliferus, native to Africa and related to cucumbers and melons, and are bright orange with pinkish red highlights, with, well, lots of horns:
Looks awesome, right? Well, wait till you open it up! The inside is very rigidly compartmentalized, in a way that requires a grapefruit spoon, and contains lots of bright green seeds most similar to cucumbers:
Let me tell you – it’s hard work to eat a kiwano. Delicious, with a tartness that is well balanced with a hint of sweetness and a flavor oddly reminiscent of zucchini paired with cucumber, and refreshing through the high water content, but hard, hard work. You’ll need a sharp knife, a grapefruit spoon, patience and determination when dealing with all of the seeds. Strong wrists help, too. We later learned that the recommended method is to halve the fruit around the middle, rather than like in the above picture. Oops!
Now, calorically, this is quite a wonder with only 25 calories per fruit (and these are good sized fruits) and a ton of Vitamin C – 40% of your daily needs. There’s also a bit of iron, calcium and Vitamin A, but mostly, kiwanos seem to be water and vitamin C.
Is it worth the work? Yes, but only if you like a rather “unfruity”, watery fruit. I wouldn’t eat this regularly, but it’s a tasty, quite different from other fruit treat that I’d enjoy when in the right mood. I recommend trying it, it sure is an experience!
What’s the coolest looking fruit or other food you’ve had? Or which looks so cool you really want to try it?