• General

Believe it or not there is a fruit that starts with X and it is called a Xigua (pronounced she-gwah). It is a Chinese name for watermelon which, just like in South Africa, is a very popular Chinese summer fruit and is often served in slices, cubes or turned into fruit juice. It appears however that the Chinese watermelon is slightly smaller than our own. See our fruit and vegetable guide under W for watermelon for all sorts of interesting information on watermelons.

Did you know?

• There is an African fruit beginning with X, called Ximenia that comes from a tree that grows wild and has rough, dark-grey bark , thorny branches and long, green, shiny leaves. The fruit is only about 3cm long and depending on the variety, ripens to orange, or yellow or even red with white spots. The fruit must be peeled before eating and the pulp is bitter and tart with a single edible seed. Ximenia can be eaten raw or if the fruit is very ripe, it can be made into jam.