Pepino Melon

I seldom splurge extra money on particular food items, but I do enjoy trying new things sometimes. Recent perusal of my grocery store's fresh fruit offerings led to the discovery of something which I'd never encountered before: the pepino melon.

It looked interesting, so I decided to try it despite the price: USD $3.98-per-pound. This one little juicy melon weighed-in at a price close to $4 USD, but I thought it might be worth it for the new experience. I had no idea what it would look like, or taste like, on the inside. But, such is adventure.

Cutting into it with a paring knife was easy because the outer skin was thin and the flesh inside was very tender. The inside was was very moist, wonderfully soft and juicy.

Wikipedia states that: "its flavor recalls a succulent mixture of honeydew and cucumber." However, I tasted no honeydew nor cucumber, but a flavor very much like a pear. It is not something I would buy regularly at that price (!) but would certainly do so at a cheaper price.

Folks in South America probably get them much more cheaply, as they originate there — perhaps even free off a bush in the back yard! The fruit is native to the temperate regions of the Andes, and are found in Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Chile. There, the fruit of the low-growing Solanum muricatum shrub is called Pepino Dulce. I wonder if @ecoinstante and her husband @ecoinstant have eaten them?

More information can be read in the Wikipedia article in the "Sources" link, below.