It’s quite challenging to describe a flavour. In a previous blog we discussed how the question “what does a Kiwano taste like?” could be compared to the Laurel/Yanny piece of audio that went viral in 2018 (where 50% of people definitely heard the person say “Laurel” while the other 50% of the world was sure they heard “Yanny”).
In other words, tastes can be different for different people! The other reason is that flavours are just generally difficult to put into words. For example, an apple is well, apple flavoured, isn’t it?
But when you’ve got an exotic, rather funky looking fruit, you need to give people some frame of reference. And after 30 years of growing Kiwano, and gauging people’s responses to our fruit, we’ve narrowed it down to a few key flavour points.
1. Banana, passionfruit and lime
The best description we’ve come up with for the green pulp found inside Kiwano is a refreshing mix of banana, passionfruit and lime. It’s a subtle, clean taste. The note of banana is the underlying sweetness (think with a green tinge to the ends or perfectly ripe banana, not the cloying sweetness over-ripe kind!); the passionfruit is that mix of sweet and tangy, and the lime describes its tropical freshness.
However, we’ve heard other fruits as references too. People have said Kiwano tastes like green grapes. Some say they can taste kiwifruit in there (whether that’s just a trick of the mind with the “kiw” at the start of both fruits!).
2. Refreshingly fruity
A very common response is that Kiwano tastes “fresh and cool”.
The pulp has a jelly-like feel which gives it a nicely cooling effect. This and the subtle flavour means Kiwano works really well in both sweeter and savoury dishes. Kiwano can be used in smoothies, juices, cocktails and desserts through to raita, salsas, salads and as a topping for grilled meats and seafoods. One super easy way to enjoy it is in our fruity version of avo on toast. (Click here for our full recipes page).
The cooling effect also makes Kiwano great paired with Mexican and Asian cuisine. Try it dolloped on tacos, in a Kiwano-inspired pico de gallo or as a topping for sashimi.
It’s kind of like, hmmm well….
We’re not alone in the challenge to describe our fruit’s flavour. Another exotic fruit from New Zealand, the feijoa (an everyday seasonal fruit in New Zealand) was described like this to the Guardian UK: “Many liken them to guavas or quince, but their complex flavour also brings to mind strawberries and pineapple, with a pear-like gritty texture, and a hint of mint.”
However, I was recently drooling over fellow Kiwi blog Crazy Cucumber’s delicious sounding recipe for Feijoa and Passionfruit Vegan Galette recipe where she describes Feijoa as having a flavour blend of “pineapple and strawberry”. See: It’s Laurel and Yanny all over again!
