Melão Croá
(sicana sphaerica)
Also known as melão-caboclo or cruá
Not to be confused with cassabanana (sicana odorifera)
From the same family as cucumbers, pumpkins and melons, this relative of the cassabanana (sicana odorifera) isa bit shorter and wider than its brother. These fruits are often used like vegetables when still unripe, often added to soups or used to make preserves and liquor. They're also quite aromatic, making them useful as a repellent against some insects.
Besides melão croá (sicana sphaerica) and cassabanana (sicana odorifera) there's also croá roxo (sicana atropurpurea), which mainly differs in colour (purple instead of red) and sicana trinitensis, one that is still fairly unknown. Sicana atropurpurea tends to be used as a synonym for sicana odorifera as it's not yet known whether it is truly a different species. The Portuguese common names for these species are derived from the indigenous Guarani language, meaning 'fruit similar to yam' or 'fruit similar to taro'.
Have you eaten a melão croá?
Yes
No, but I've heard of it
Haven't even heard of it
🥒 Reblog to share a fun fruit and to increase sample size! Check out even more interesting fruits here or in the list of all polled fruits. 🥒
