Strange fruit that looks like a mango but is purple and inside is like a banana

In the shared image, it can be seen that when it was still hanging on the tree, this fruit looked like a mango, but had a purple skin . When cut open with a knife, the inside looked like a banana.

Recently, social media users have been buzzing about a strange fruit that most of us have never "seen or heard".

Picture 1 of Strange fruit that looks like a mango but is purple and inside is like a banana
Strange fruit: Looks like a mango on the outside, but looks like a banana when cut open.

In the shared image, it can be seen that when it was still hanging on the tree, this fruit looked like a mango, but had a purple skin.

When I cut it open with a knife, I was surprised because the inside looked like the inside of a banana . If I continued to cut it into small pieces with a knife, I could see many black seeds, just like banana seeds.

According to research, this is actually not a mango, nor is it a banana. It is a purple Akebi grape - a fairly popular fruit, often found in the land of cherry blossoms with the nickname "Japanese chocolate grapes".

The reason for this name is because when the Akebi tree blooms, it gives off a chocolate-like scent .

Picture 2 of Strange fruit that looks like a mango but is purple and inside is like a banana
Akebi tree in bloom.

Picture 3 of Strange fruit that looks like a mango but is purple and inside is like a banana
And when it bears fruit.

This fruit looks like a purple mango or a light purple sweet potato. The inside is opaque white and contains many black seeds like passion fruit.

Initially, only Hokkaido, the coldest region in Japan, could grow this plant. Then, it gradually spread to China, the Korean Peninsula, and then to the eastern United States, from Georgia to Michigan and Massachusetts.

However, although it is a "hybrid" of mango, banana and passion fruit, its flavor is sweet with a bit of bitterness.

For a long time, the Japanese have known how to use the Akebi fruit peel to make many delicious dishes such as salad, grilled, fried, stuffed with braised meat, pickled, and the pulp can be used to make jam.

Meanwhile, the seeds are also extracted into essential oils and the leaves of the Akebi tree are used to make delicious tea.