Horned Melon (Kiwano)

The horned melon, also known as kiwano or African horned cucumber, is an eye-catching fruit with a bright orange, spiny rind and emerald-green, seed-filled pulp. Originally from southern Africa, it belongs to the cucumber and melon family and has a mild, slightly tart flavour often compared to a blend of banana, lime, and cucumber.

The flesh is eaten by scooping it straight from the halved fruit, seeds and all. It can be added to fruit salads, blended into smoothies, or used as a decorative garnish. The flavour is subtle, so it pairs well with stronger tropical fruits or a squeeze of lime and a pinch of sugar.

Horned melons appear occasionally in Australian supermarkets and specialty greengrocers, usually as an imported novelty. They’re ripe when the skin turns from green to deep orange.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Horned melons grow on trailing vines in warm climates and are harvested by hand when the fruit turns from green to orange, indicating ripeness. The fruit is picked, cleaned, and packed for sale whole. No processing is required — it is sold fresh and eaten raw, typically by cutting it in half and scooping out the pulp.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 44kcal
Protein 1.8g
Carbs 7.6g
Fat 1.3g
Fibre 0g Sugar 0g
Mass Distribution

1 fruit (4-2/3" long x 2-3/4" dia) is about 209 g — roughly 90 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈0.7kg
Freshwater ≈180L
Land ≈0.8m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

exotic garnish fruit

Goes well with
cucumber lime coconut mint banana
Classic dishes
  • Tropical fruit salad
  • Exotic fruit platter

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromHorned Melon, fruit goes well withcucumber goes well withlime goes well withcoconut goes well withmint goes well withbanana
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