Kivano

The exotic kiwano fruit is familiar to many and under other names, the most common being horned melon, African cucumber, English tomato or anguria. This plant belongs to the pumpkin family, and belongs to the genus of cucumbers. Outwardly, the Kiwano is an annual grassy liana with thin but unusually strong shoots, on the surface of which there are spikes.

Africa is considered the birthplace of the Kiwano, but this plant is successfully cultivated in other regions with a tropical climate. This mainly applies to South America and the Antilles, whose climate is so favorable for Kiwano, then the plant can grow to gigantic sizes.

Kiwano is practically invulnerable to all kinds of diseases and pests, which gives it an advantage over many other plants that belong to this family. In addition, it is distinguished by its ease of care and cultivation, and is also unusually prolific. Thanks to such Kiwano properties, this plant was successfully cultivated even in countries such as Great Britain, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Bulgaria and in some states of the United States of America.

True, the Kiwano has one and only drawback - hypersensitivity to sharp temperature changes, as well as intolerance to cold. In this regard, thanks to the efforts of breeders, a special variety of kiwano fruit called the Green Dragon was bred. It is intended for cultivation in Siberian greenhouses, as well as in the southern strip and the middle part of Russia.

The appearance of the kiwano fruit is quite exotic - it resembles a small, oval-shaped melon. Moreover, the entire surface of the fruit is covered with pointed conical growths in the form of spines, which are rather soft, so they cannot cause any harm. The pulp of the kiwano fruit has a jelly-like texture and is painted in a light green color. Inside the fruit there is a large number of small white seeds that can be eaten without fear.

The kiwano fruit tastes like a cross between a cucumber and a banana, and for some it looks like a melon with lime - it directly depends on the taste perception of a person. But be that as it may, we can say that the Kiwano is characterized by a very pleasant sweet and sour taste, thanks to which the fruit acts refreshingly in the heat.

It is easy to consume kivano - it is enough to cut the fruit in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Juicy flesh is often used as a good supplement to salads, desserts, cakes and creams. Peeled kiwano wedges are a fine piece of jewellery for fruit ice cream or milkshakes.

In addition, a dish based on seafood, soft cheese and kiwano fruit is very popular all over the world. The most real delicacy among connoisseurs is the pickled four-day ovaries of this fruit. Moreover, with this method of culinary processing, all excellent qualities and useful properties of kivano are preserved almost completely.