Fruit Frenzy: Day 2 ~ Kiwanos Fruit.

Kiwanos Fruit (a.k.a. horned melon)

I’ve always wanted to try this fruit ever since it was on an episode of Friends (back in the days when we were able to watch Friends… ah, yes, the days before kids.  haha!)  Anyway, I digress.  In the episode she had no idea what the fruit was.  And neither did I.

Until now.

I was SHOCKED to discover the inside looks like this:

Look! The inside is GREEN!!!

See, aren’t you a little shocked too?  I was expecting a melon color or maybe even a reddish pink maybe.  Definitely not green.  And gel-like.

Tim decided to pass on trying the fruit tonight with me.  🙂  He thought it looked a bit too green and runny!

Yup, I have to agree with Tim...

I also read that I can reuse the shell as bowls or decorations which I thought was interesting, so I scooped them clean to save them.

It smells just like a cucumber and tastes like a combination of things that I’m having a hard time placing.  The best I can explain is a mixture of a cucumber and a banana–it’s sweet but not overly sweet.  It is actually quite tasty.

But the interesting (and perhaps most annoying) part is how the fruit is made.  It’s made up of tiny pockets of juice containing a seed.

Pockets of juice.

So, while the flavor is not bad at all, it’s a bit difficult to eat.  The seeds are edible but not very fun to chew on so I ended up standing by the garbage can spitting out seeds.  Also the pocket are a bit slippery in my mouth so it took a bit of effort to chew up even just a couple of seeds.

After more reading you’re apparently supposed to only eat a few seeds at a time and really enjoy the flavor.  Someone even said it’s a great snack to enjoy in front of the t.v. since you have to eat slowly, a seed at a time.  Interesting, huh?

Of course, there is the cost again, which plays a huge factor in my like or dislike of a new fruit and this runs quite high at $2.99 per fruit.  So even though I like the flavor and I get a nifty bowl when I’m done I’m not sure it’s worth it.

But I love finally being able to say I’ve tried that fruit from the episode of Friends now!

Recap: Kiwanos Fruit

~~ From the cucumber and melon family

~~  $2.99 per fruit

~~ Tastes like cucumber and banana

~~ Not likely to buy again unless I need a “conversation piece”