I saw this at the Duluth Cub Foods, and picked one up. I like to try new fruits and veggies whenever I can get my hands on them. This one was great for the novelty, but I have to admit, I can't see myself eating it frequently. It was pretty boring in flavor, but the texture was interesting.
From Wikipedia: The horned melon (Cucumis metuliferus), also called African horned cucumber or melon, jelly melon, hedged gourd, melano, or kiwano, is an annual vine in the cucumber and melon family. It is grown for its fruit, which looks like an oval melon with horn-like spines. The fruit of this plant is edible, but it is used as often for decoration as for food. Though the horned melon is native to Africa, it is now grown in California and New Zealand as well.
In Zimbabwe, this cucumber is called 'gaka' or 'gakachika' and it is primarily used as a fruit-snack, salad and rarely for decoration. It is eaten young, mature green or when ripe - bright yellow/orange (eaten at any stage of its development). It grows naturally in the fields and also in the bush. However, some people leave some to rot in the fields for next summer seeds/plants. Its taste has been compared to a combination of cucumber and zucchini[1] or a combination of banana, cucumber and lemon.[2] Some eat the peeling as well. It has a replica that does not have horns, but looks and tastes similar. The seeds are covered in a gelatin-like substance.
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