pepino

The fruit resembles a melon (Cucumis melo) in color, and its flavor recalls a succulent mixture of honeydew and cucumber. The species is a close relative of other nightshades cultivated for their fruit, including the tomato (S. lycopersicum) and the eggplant/aubergine (S. melongena), which its own fruit closely resembles.

The pepino dulce is presumed to be native to the temperate Andean regions of Colombia, Peru, and Chile, though it is not known in the wild and the details of its domestication are unknown.

Delicate and mild-flavored, pepinos are often eaten as a fresh snack fruit. They combine very well with a number of other fruits as well.

Pepinos were described by early Spanish colonizers as being cultivated on the coast; the Moche Valley in Peru was particularly famous for them. They are not, however, often found archaeologically as they are soft and pulpy and not easy to preserve, while their tough seeds are small and easily lost among debris. In the United States, the fruit is known to have been grown in San Diego before 1889 and in Santa Barbara by 1897. More commercially viable cultivars were introduced from New Zealand and elsewhere towards the end of the 20th century, leading to its introduction into upscale markets in Japan, Europe and North America. The plant is relatively hardy. In its native range it grows at altitudes ranging from close to sea level up to 3,000 metres (9,800 feet). It performs best in a warm, relatively frost-free climate. The plant can survive a low temperature of −2.5 °C (27.5 °F) if the freeze is not prolonged, but it may drop many of its leaves. The species is perennial, but its sensitivity to chilling, pests, and diseases force the growers to replant the crop every year. The crop also adapts well to greenhouse cultivation, training the plants up to 2 m (6+1⁄2 ft) tall, and obtaining yields that are 2–3 times larger than those obtained outdoors. They are propagated by cuttings since they are established easily without rooting hormones. …