Kiwano

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Although the kiwano or horned melon has been known for more than 300 years, it only became a commercial factor in 1981, when New Zealand began to market it. It belongs to the same biological family as cucumbers and pumpkins. Like the melons, kiwanos are somewhere between fruits and vegetables.

Description:

Kiwanos grow on plants with tendriled shoots and are cultivated on wires, sticks or climbing scaffolds. The fruit resembles an oval melon with horns, with a length of 7 to 20cm and gold-orange to reddish colour. The firm skin with a thickness of 4-6mm, shows spiky or hornshaped protrusions or points spaced approx. 3cm apart. The interior of the fruit displays a thickened supporting wall in the centre, and honeycombed seed chambers filled with sea-green to dark green, juicy, jelly-like flesh, in which numerous seeds, strikingly familiar to pumpkin seeds, are embedded. People experience the taste of the Kiwano in different ways: refreshing, elegantly dry, „tropical“, like a sweet cucumber, sometimes a bit dull. Israelis claim that it tastes similar to a lime or lemon and they call it 'citromelon'. The Italians however declare that it has a mixture of lemon and banana flavour („lemonbana“) It seems that the flavour develop differently in the various cultivation regions. Substance content and nutritional values of the kiwano are still unknown.

Marketing :

The fruit is harvested between January and June, when it loses its originally green colour and changes to yellow orange. They are washed, sorted by size, and carefully packed. In consideration of the edges of the fruit dividing walls and wood shavings are used in the cartons and pallets, or tray packs. The kiwano has an extraordinary long shelf life. If it harvested immediately at the onset of yellowing, it may be stored safely for 6-9 months at 9°C. Hence, kiwanos survive easily long shipping times in temperature controlled containers. This makes a year round sale possible. It is usually offered per piece.

Use:

The kiwano may be eaten after the first sign of ripening, i.e. when starting to change its colour. The fruit is washed, halved lengthwise or in wedges and is spooned out like a grapefruit. A pinch of sugar may be added. The flesh may also be mixed with pineapple, apple, banana, diced pistachio, almonds, nuts in an elegant fruit salad or be prepared in cocktails, ice cream or sorbets. The fruit may be frozen for a longer storage.