LESSON LEARNED:  EXOTIC EQUALS EDIBLE ONLY OCCASIONALLY

I love tasting fruits that are not commonplace.  Dragon fruit, papaya, passion fruit, persimmon, pineapple strawberries, lychee, mangosteen, and star fruit are among those I have enjoyed. Pomegranate seeds dance when put into sparkling water and provide a burst of flavour when you bite down on them as they enter your mouth.

San Diego grocery stores offer a wide variety of fruits we have never seen elsewhere.  They tend to be very expensive at VON and Ralphs (which are both now owned by Kroger, as are Fred Meyers, Albertsons – the parent company of Safeway – and a number of other supermarkets that are lesser-known to us.  Can you say monopoly?)    

For example, a single kiwano melon (native to Africa, Australia, and some islands in the Pacific) sells for $9 at VON and Ralphs, so when I saw them for $5.99 each at Sprouts Farmers Market today, I decided to try one.

This “horned melon” tastes a bit like an orange, but its flesh has a jelly-like texture that I find off-putting.  I won’t be rushing out to buy another.

Buddha’s Hand is another intriguing fruit we saw at Ralphs.  This unusually shaped citron variety is segmented into finger-like sections.  It is native to Asia.  Fortunately, before spending $11 to buy one I learned that although it can be zested it is used primarily for its sweet, lemon blossom aroma.  It also has an anti-inflammatory capacity and can relieve swelling and pain caused by everything from injuries and surgeries to simple bangs and bruises.  It is often believed to speed up wound healing and discoloration of bruises. This fruit looks somewhat like multi-toed chicken feet to me, but I am told it resembles the hands seen on representations of the Buddha.

Quince is an ancient fruit, found in Roman cooking and grown across Turkey, Iran, Greece, and southeast Asia. Some sources say the quince fruit actually predates the apple, and “…all the ancient mentions like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden were indeed referring to the quince.”

Raw quince, even when ripe, isn’t considered edible because it’s known to be acidic and very firm.  When cooked, however, quince can take on a pleasantly sweet smell and flavor that is said to be great in pastes.

According to the website “Great British Chefs” (which I’ve been told is an oxymoron 😊), “During cooking, the quince will soften, and the hard yellow flesh will turn pink and fragrant. It’s a magical thing. They can be poached, roasted and stewed. Whatever the method, the key is to cook quinces for a long time at a low temperature.” 

Quinces are relatively inexpensive ($3 each) but I think I’ll stick to apples.

I’ve read that the flesh of pepino melons is valued for its light, pleasant scent of vanilla and notes of honey. “Surprisingly, the mild flavor is a delicate combination of cantaloupe and honeydew melon combined.”  I’ve seen them for $5 each at Ralphs and thought I might buy one next time we’re there.

Then I watched a video of a woman tasting pepino melon.  She reports that it has a slightly mealy texture, similar to that of cantaloupe, but is not nearly as tasty.  She says that unlike a honeydew melon, pepino melon is not at all sweet.  It tastes more like a combination of cucumber and tomato.  It even has the texture of a green tomato.  She said it is a little bit like cactus fruit, although less mushy and mealy, with no seeds.  She suggests the pepino melon might be suitable for something more savoury such as a salsa, combined with onions and some citrus.

That goes to show you can’t always believe what you read.  I am no longer tempted to taste either pepino melon or cactus fruit, but this has still been a good learning experience. It may also explain why these fruits are not commonplace.