What does a spiky orange look like?
This orange fruit has rough, spiky skin and looks like an alien seedling. Don’t be intimidated—the fruit inside is sweet and fresh with a flavor most similar to cucumber or kiwi.
What kind of fruit looks like an alien seedling?
Horned Melon This orange fruit has rough, spiky skin and looks like an alien seedling. Don’t be intimidated—the fruit inside is sweet and fresh with a flavor most similar to cucumber or kiwi. The slimy seeds are a delicious addition to fruit salad.
What are some exotic fruits with unusual skin?
Let’s complete this list of exotic fruits with a truly unusual fruit, the santol. This exotic treat from Southeast Asia has an unusually thick skin with white-colored flesh inside. When you cut the skin off, you’ll notice the similarities with the mangosteen fruit straight away, with a bunch of wedges of flesh tied together.
What are some exotic red fruits?
Some examples of exotic red fruits include red cactus fruit and red passion fruit. Other exotic fruits include red dragon fruit and lychee with its bumpy red skin and white fleshy center.
Is Kiwano melon poisonous?
These compounds are very toxic to mammals, however as they are the most bitter substances known they are also feeding deterrents and very rarely eaten by mammals. The non-bitter comercial cultivars do not contain cucurbitacines and are not toxic.
How do you eat orange spiky fruit?
A fully ripened kiwano has an orange rind with prominent spikes. To eat plain, cut the fruit in half, as shown above. Gently squeeze one half until the slime-covered seeds ooze out. The seeds aren't harmful to eat, but many people prefer to hold the seeds between their teeth and suck off the green flesh.Aug 14, 2020
What does Kiwano melon taste like?
Describing the kiwano fruit taste The kiwano melon is a mild tasting fruit that is slightly sweet and tart. Its closest comparison would be a cucumber, although it does have a subtle undertone of citrus and banana. The inner flesh is a pulpy gelatinous substance that feels a lot like aloe vera jelly.Feb 18, 2020
What are the benefits of eating thorn melon?
The Vitamin C present in this fruit helps in detoxifying the skin, production of collagen and repairing damaged skin tissues. Horned melon contains Vitamin A which is known to improve eyesight. Vitamin A has antioxidants properties that eliminate the radicals that lead to eye problems.Sep 28, 2018
Is balsam apple edible?
Balsam Apple is a Bitter Melon relative with tiny pointed fruit that are edible when young and green, but that cause vomiting when ripe and orange. The bright red seed coat is sweet and textured like tapioca. In Cameroon, Sudan, and southern Africa the young fruit and leaves are cooked as a vegetable.
How do you eat a kumquat?
Kumquats are best eaten whole — unpeeled. Their sweet flavor actually comes from the peel, while their juice is tart. The only caveat is that if you're allergic to the peel of common citrus fruits, you may need to pass up kumquats. If the tart juice turns you off, you can squeeze it out before eating the fruit.Jul 2, 2018
How do you eat kiwano fruit?
The simplest way to eat a kiwano melon is to slice it open and spoon the pulp directly from the rind. Some people add a little salt or sugar to enhance its flavor. It may be eaten fresh or cooked. If you're feeling creative, you can add the pulp to smoothies or use it to top yogurt, granola, or an ice cream sundae.Jan 11, 2019
What type of fruit is a kiwano?
Kiwano, which is also called African horned cucumber or jelly melon, is a tropical fruit native to Africa, Australia, and some islands in the Pacific. It's a member of the cucumber family. It's also sometimes called orange spiky fruit because when it's ripe, its rind is orange and is covered in spiky spurs.Jun 23, 2021
Does thorn melon lower blood pressure?
Thorn melon is a good source of a wide variety of nutrients and it contains Linoleic and Oleic acids which lowers high blood pressure. According to a study which was published in the 2008 in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of America, both acids will reduce high blood pressure significantly.Aug 30, 2018
What happens when you eat thorn melon everyday?
Well, some of the advantages of thorn melon in the body include weight loss, boosting metabolism, protection of the skin, prevention of some chronic diseases, strengthening of the bones, enhancement of eye health, quickens healing of wounds, improves cognitive ability as well as optimizing digestion.
Can a baby eat thorn melon?
Is horned melon healthy for babies? Yes. Horned melon actually contains a fair amount of protein in the seeds, along with vitamin C, copper, iron, and zinc—all critical nutrients for growing babies.
Does thorn melon help in digestion?
Thorn melon or the Kiwano fruit is one of the fruits that is loaded with health benefits. It is full of antioxidants, improves digestion, slows pre-mature ageing, alleviates stress and boosts metabolism.Nov 6, 2021
Dragon Fruit
Perhaps because of its intimidating outer shell, dragon fruit is most frequently seen as a flavoring for cocktails or smoothies. This bright pink and spiky ball of fruit has a similar texture to kiwi, with tiny black seeds mixed in with the white and fruity flesh. Try ’em out in these quick and easy smoothie recipes.
Starfruit
Starfruit may not look like much from the outside, but when cut on the cross section it’s clear where this tasty fruit gets its name. The fruit has a bright yellow color and tastes like a sweet and tart grape. To prepare, slice the fruit into pieces along the ridges and remove the seeds from the center.
Rambutan
Rambutan is quite possibly one of the more intimidating fruits on the list—it is a small round ball with spiky red, pink and green hairs that stick out. To open it, use a pairing knife to slice through the outer skin but not through the interior flesh. Carve halfway around the fruit to expose the interior flesh, and tear away the skin.
Husk Cherry
Husk cherries look like tiny tomatillos; small round fruit wrapped in a papery husk. The fruit can be pink, green or light orange and taste like a cross between sweet tomatoes and pineapples. They can be hard to find, but you’ll have the best luck at your local farmers market.
Watermelon Gherkin
They might look like tiny pickles, but they’re actually sweet and sour fruit. Watermelon gherkins are the size of grapes and taste like cucumbers with a hint of sour fruitiness. These tiny watermelon are native to Mexico and Central America, but are often seen at American grocery stores or farmers markets in late summer.
Horned Melon
This orange fruit has rough, spiky skin and looks like an alien seedling. Don’t be intimidated—the fruit inside is sweet and fresh with a flavor most similar to cucumber or kiwi. The slimy seeds are a delicious addition to fruit salad. To eat, just slice the fruit in half, scoop out the fruit and serve!
Jack Fruit
Surprisingly enough, jack fruit is actually used most commonly in savory applications. This meaty fruit has a neutral flavor and is similar in consistency to chicken or steak. It tends to take on the flavor of the sauce it’s paired with and is particularly delicious when used in barbecue dishes.
What Fruits are Red in Color?
Red fruits are typically divided into categories like drupes (stone fruits), citrus fruits, berries, pomes, and pepo. In addition, it is possible to divide red fruits into exotic, tropical, or everyday fruits among these categories.
Common Types of Red Fruit
Let’s look at common types of red fruit that you can grow in your garden or buy in your local store.
Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa)
Strawberries are a common type of bright red fruit with tiny seeds on the outside. The triangular-shaped or round juicy fruits have a sweet caramel aroma and fruity taste synonymous with summertime. Biting into a ripe, juicy strawberry releases a burst of sweetness with a slight acidity.
Raspberry (Rubus)
Raspberries are small bumpy red fruits with a fresh sweet taste and hints of tartness. Removing soft red raspberries from the bush reveals they have a hollow core. The berry-like fruit consists of small red receptacles containing a single seed. Like strawberries, raspberries are not a true berry, but they are a type of aggregate fruit.
Red Apple (Malus domestica)
Red apples are one of the most common types of red fruits in temperate climates. The round crunchy fruits can be as small as 0.8” (2 cm) or as large as 4” (10 cm) in diameter. Depending on the variety, large red apples can have dark red, mottled skins, and bright yellow flesh. Or they can have red and green, sometimes yellow skins.
Red Cherry (Prunus cerasus or Prunus avium)
Cherries are small red fruits with a sweet or sour taste, depending on the variety. Typically, varieties of sweet cherries have dark red or crimson colors and are delicious straight off the tree. Sour cherries can be various shades of red, ranging from dark red (Morello cherry) to light red (Amarelle cherry).
Red Plum
Red plums are round drupes with dense red or yellow flesh covering a large stone. Dark red plums have smooth skins, sometimes with a waxy surface, giving the plum a cloudy appearance. The medium-sized fruits measure between 0.8” and 2.7” (2 – 7 cm) in diameter. The fruit shape is typically round or oval.
1. Cherimoya Fruit
The cherimoya may not look overly appealing at first glance, but when you cut this green fruit in half and eat its delicious flesh, you will definitely want more of it.
3. Miracle Fruit
Native to West Africa, the miracle fruit may be small but it is gifted with the power to make sour fruits taste sweet, like magic.
4. Kiwano Fruit
The spiky and bright yellow/orange skin of kiwano fruit, also known as horned melon, will immediately grab your attention once you see it. And when you cut one open, the soft, green flesh may surprise you even more.
5. Mangosteen
The mangosteen tree is an evergreen tree believed to have originated in the Moluccas (Indonesia) and the Sunda Islands.
6. Kumquat
With the cool looks of a miniature, oval shaped orange, the kumquat (or cumquat) is a delicious citrus fruit. Kumquats are very similar to oranges in nutritional profile and the way they look, but much smaller.
7. Cupuaçu Fruit
Brazilians like to think of Cupuaçu as an alternative to cocoa and chocolate. Cupuaçu (pronounced “coo-poo-asoo”) stems from the Sterculiaceae plant family of which cacao and chocolate are the most famous products.
8. Rambutan Fruit
Rambut is Malay for “hair”, and looking at the fruit, this makes perfect sense.
Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
Of all the spiky weeds, thistles are probably the most recognizable. Bull thistles have spines that cover the leaves and stems of the weed up to the pink-purple flowers. They also have spiny bracts that grow beneath the flower head.
Jimson Weed (Datura stramonium)
Jimson weed is an invasive weed that’s a member of the nightshade family. It’s also known as thorn apple and devil’s snare.
Prickly Sida (Sida spinosa)
Does the weed have a spike at its leaf nodes? If the answer’s yes, then you might be looking at prickly sida.
Carolina horsenettle (Solanum carolinense)
Also called devil’s tomato, horsenettle is part of the nightshade family. The weed produces fruit that resemble small tomatoes. But be warned, horsenettle is a poisonous weed and the fruit is toxic to eat. Just handling the plant causes a rash for some people.
Common Cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium)
Common cocklebur has spines on its fruit. When the weed is mature, each fruit, called a bur, is about 2.5 cm long and covered with hook-shaped spines. The prickly burs easily hook onto your clothing or the fur of animals.
Goat Head Weed (Tribulus terrestris)
Goat head weed is also called devil’s thorn, puncturevine, and bindii. It’s notorious for the sharp barbs on its fruit. These vertical spikes resemble horns, and easily puncture thin shoes, bare feet, bicycle tires, and the hooves of animals. This allows the seeds to be carried to new locations. And so the plant spreads.
Lawn Burweed (Soliva sessilis)
One of the pleasures of having a lawn is feeling the grass under your bare feet. But you better be careful if lawn burweed is in your yard. This weed disperses prickly thorn balls that will give you a nasty surprise.
Horned melon
The horned melon (also known as "blowfish fruit" in the U.S.) is a member of the cucumber and melon family that is native to Africa, but now grown in a variety of places worldwide. Known also as the African horned cucumber, jelly fruit, and English tomato, eating this fruit is like biting into a cucumber that tastes like a banana.
Mangosteen
With an inedible and hard exterior that resembles an acorn, the Mangosteen contains a soft, tangy and sweet interior. There exists a legend about the fruit, dating back to Queen Victoria, where she offered a reward of 100 sterling pounds to anyone who could deliver the fruit, the likely source of it's unusual designation as the "Queen of Fruits."
Pitaya
With a colorful, hard exterior and seedy, soft interior, the Pitaya is commonly known as "dragon fruit" and is the fruit of several cactus species. It's often compared to the kiwifruit as it contains small black crunchy seeds as well.
Romanesco broccoli
The Romanesco broccoli (or Roman cauliflower) looks a lot like an alien egg, but is actually an edible flower and variant of traditional cauliflower. Prepared like regular broccoli, it is most suited for raw crudites and has a more creamy and nutty taste.
Durian
With a spiky exterior that makes it less than ideal for playing sports with, the durian holds a fruit in its interior that is known for strong reactions (both good and bad) from the odor it emits.
Chayote
The chayote looks a bit like a pear on a real bad day, but is actually a fruit that is native to Mesoamerica, a member of the gourd family. It is contended to be a rather bland fruit, like a mix between a pear and a potato, so is often marinated with lemon or lime juice when prepared.
Crosnes
Looking a tad bit like larvae, the crosne is actually a root vegetable that has a nutty, artichoke-like flavor, with a white and tender flesh.
