The vine has leaves up to 1 foot (30 cm) wide, and male and female flowers.
The fruit is 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 cm) long. The thick, hard rind can be orange, yellow, purple, or black. It will be smooth and glossy when ripe.
Inside, the tender, sweet flesh is orange or yellow. At the centre, there is a soft pulp with oval, flat brown seeds about 1/2 inch (1 cm) long and half as wide. The seeds grow in rows the length of the melon.
The fruit has a sweet aroma. It is very fragrant in the house. Some people think it repels moths.
Cooking Tips
Cassabanana Melon can be eaten raw in slices. Some say it is better with a little sugar.
It can also be cooked and made into preserves such as jam.
When unripe, it is treated as a vegetable.
The most popular use is jam.
 |
|
Amount
|
| Fat | |
.2 g
|
| Protein | |
.145 g
|
| Vitamin C | |
13.9 mg
|
| Calcium | |
21.1 mg
|
| Iron | |
.33 mg
|
| Potassium | |
24.5 mg
|
History Notes
Cassabanana Melon is native to Brazil but was already being grown before the Europeans arrived in places such as what is now Ecuador .