Blue Watermelon, the Japanese Moon Melon, Photographs: Fact Check

Story:

This a Moonmelon, scientifically knows as asidus

This fruit grows in some parts of Japan , and it’s known for it’s weird blue color what you probably don’t know about this fruit, is that it can switch flavors after you eat it, everything sour will taste sweet, and everything salty will taste bitter and it gives water a strong orange-like taste, this fruit is Very expensive, and it coasts about ?16000 JPY (which is about 200 dollars).

Picture about Blue Watermelon, the Japanese Moon Melon — Blue Watermelon, the Japanese Moon Melon

Other Versions

Moonmelon (scientifically knows as asidus). This fruit grows in some parts of Japan and is known for its vibrant blue colour. This fruit’s party trick is – it can switch flavours after you eat it. Everything sour will taste sweet, everything salty will taste bitter, and it gives water a strong orange-like taste! Bucket list fruit after all!

Fact Check:

Picture messages claim to show Moon Melon, a rare, blue and costly variety of Watermelon in Japan. They also claim the blue melon shows flavor enhancing properties after you eat it. The strange claims are however not true. The pictures are simply digital, Photoshop manipulations.

Not Blue Watermelon or Moon Melon

The messages with Photoshop pictures are in fact circulating online from many years. Likewise, you can watch the original (normal red, not blue) pictures below. The second picture is in fact taken from a Photoshop illustration website.

Original Watermelon Picture, Photoshopped

Of course, there are various types of melons. However, there’s no such blue color moon melon changing the taste of something after you it. There’s a hybrid type of melon, Red Moon Melon – a cross breed of French melon and the Western Muskmelon. It is slightly reddish-yellow in color, not showing any taste-altering properties.

Picture of Red Moon Melon — Red Moon Melon

There are indeed some natural fruits exhibiting flavor-enhancing properties. Miracle Berry (Synsepalum dulcificum) is one such fruit known to make sour foods like lemons to taste sweet. This change of taste is in fact due to the effect of Miraculin, an active protein in commercial use as a sugar substitute.