Cucumber, but with a golden thorny skin, tastes like kiwi, has attracted many curious people.
Unlike ordinary cucumbers, this strange melon inherits a little of the characteristics of other fruits. This fruit is called Kiwano or horned melon.
The origin of this melon comes from Africa, especially the Kalahari desert because this melon can grow well without providing too much water.
Kiwano melon has a very bright red orange peel and is very prominent. On the orange peel, there are many sharp spikes distributed around. Kiwano plants are vine-like or cucumber-like.
Kiwano is best planted in the spring and the fruit ripens in the summer. When the fruit turns dark orange, it is ripe. The shape is larger than a cucumber and has an elongated shape.
In addition to the extremely special skin, when you cut the Kiwano fruit in half, you will see that the inside of the fruit has a structure similar to the cucumber intestine. Even Kiwano seeds are completely similar to cucumber seeds.
However, inside there is a layer of green jelly-like pulp. This unique cucumber flavor is described as a cross between cucumber, banana, zucchini and kiwi.
This is an easy-to-eat fruit, the taste is not too sour but not too sweet, so it can be eaten easily. This melon seed is also swallowed like a cucumber seed. However, the Kiwano melon seeds are quite hard so it will be a bit difficult to chew.
Kiwano berries contain a lot of vitamins and fiber that are very good for the body. This melon contains many vitamins and minerals, such as Protein, Vitamin C, A, B6, Magnesium, Iron, Phosphorus, Calcium…
The price of Kiwano fruit sold in the US is about 3.99 USD/fruit (about 90k). In Vietnam, the price is up to 400k / fruit, which is about 1.6 million VND / kg. Kiwano melons are delicious eaten directly and are also suitable for making some unique cocktails.