I’ve been in Zimbabwe for a month now, and I’m having an amazing time, especially when it comes to the food. All my favorites, like chibage, nzungu, and nyimo, are plentiful. The abundance and variety of local cuisine are inspiring me with so many new ideas, which I’ll be sharing with you here on the blog.
Do you know this fruit? Or is it a vegetable?
In Shona we call it gaka remunzwa which directly translates to cucumber with thorns. The English name is horned melon. It tastes more like a cucumber than a melon to me. It is much more watery compared to cucumbers but has more seeds than a cucumber. In my uncle’s farm in Gutu they grow wild though now are farmed by small commercial farmers for sale. People usually eat them like that or salted and more recently added to salads. I am in the group of people that just don’t like them that much.
Magaka have high levels of minerals and vitamins such as Iron, Magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and other nutrients, so they are good for you.
Magaka are liquid in nature so they are the perfect fruit for turning into a drink. I blended the fruit with lemon juice and some sugar and strained it. That is all I had to do, and it turned out delicious!
Gaka Agua Fresca
Refreshing drink made from gaka (horned melon) and lemon
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 3 gaka (horned melon) peeled
- 1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
-
Blend 2 cups water, gaka (horned melons), lemon juic3e, and sugar together in a blender until smooth. Pour into pitcher; add remaining water. Stir in additional sugar to taste.
