Have you tasted the Pepino? The juicy-sweet pulp is reminiscent of a blend of melon and pear and has a sugar content of four to eight percent. Other ingredients are vitamin C (35 to 70 mg per 100 g) and provitamin A.
The Pepino, also called the melon pear, is at home in the warm mountain valleys of Peru and Colombia. Today, however, it is also grown in many other countries in South America, the US and New Zealand. The fruit belongs to the Solanaceae family and thrives on low shrublands. Pepinos can grow 10 to 20 centimeters long. The shape and color of the fruit can vary a lot, from pointed to oblong like bananas or ribbed like a meaty tomato. The peel can be cream-colored to lemon yellow, with purple or violet stripes.
Mature fruits are especially tasty, but also delicate. Therefore imported goods from overseas are usually harvested when still green. Do not eat a pepino until the fruit color changes from greenish to creamy and the fruit gives way to gentle pressure. The fruit can be eaten with or without its peel, but the latter tastes slightly bitter. Alternatively, the pepino can be spooned out like a kiwi. The cores are easy to remove. Since the cut fruit quickly discolours, the Pepino should only be prepared directly before consumption.
Source: Federal Center for Nutrition (BZFE)