Horned melon

What it is

A horned melon is an oval fruit about 6–15 cm (2.4–6 in) long and 3–6 cm (1.2–2.4 in) across. Its stout, fleshy spines ripen yellow to orange-red with the rest of the shell. Inside, light green, jelly-like flesh holds many flat seeds, 6–9 mm long, that you eat along with it.

Fruit sold in shops comes from non-bitter commercial varieties. Some wild plants bear extremely bitter fruit containing compounds that are toxic to mammals.

Where it comes from

The plant comes from Africa south of the Sahara, reaching Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. New Zealand growers began exporting it in the 1980s and gave it the name kiwano to sell it in Japan and the United States. Today Enzed Exotics grows it near Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty.

It has also been grown commercially in California for the US market, and in Israel and Kenya for Europe.

How it's eaten where it grows

In southern Africa, horned melon is a traditional fruit vegetable. It's peeled and eaten unripe, when it looks and tastes like cucumber, or ripe, when it can taste sweet. Kalahari San people in Botswana roast the fruit, and ripe fruits can be split open and dried in the sun for later.

Elsewhere the pulp is usually spooned out, blended or added to salads. A New Zealand grower's kiwano salsa, its spin on pico de gallo, mixes the pulp with tomatoes, lime juice, chilli, red onion, celery and cilantro.

How it's grown

Horned melon grows on a climbing vine that completes its life in one growing season, with separate male and female flowers. It's grown in the field much like a muskmelon, or under nets or in a greenhouse. In Israeli fields, fruit has been ready to harvest about three and a half months after sowing.

When and where you'll find it

In the US, Frieda’s kiwano range runs year-round, using fruit grown in the United States and New Zealand. It's sold as a whole fresh fruit. Choose yellow-to-orange fruit with no splits in the skin and keep it out of the refrigerator; once it turns golden to deep orange, use it within a few days.