The fruit resembles the honeydew variety but has the “zesty, fresh” taste of a lemon, according to Tesco.
It is grown in Spain and is the product of 12 years of trials, the retailer said.
It has 700/800mg of citric acid per 100g – almost twice that of a standard melon – and a pH level of 4.5 compared with 6.5 for a standard melon.
“Melons were for a long time considered a really exotic treat, but the arrival here in recent years of weird and wonderful produce such as dragon fruit, lychees and papaya has made them mainstream to many people,” said Tesco melon buyer Paul Cunningham..
“Now at last there is a new variety which we think will help excite the market. We believe that they will become the culinary hit of the summer once people have tasted them.
“The lemon melon causes a great reaction when people first try them because the last thing you expect from a smooth-textured melon is a tangy aftertaste.”
He added: “The lemon melon tastes great chilled as either a starter served with prawns or as a dessert.”
I had something very similar, in terms of the concept, a few years back at my regular old New England Stop&Shop.
It was a “Grapple”… some sort of hyprid between an apple and a grape…
It intrigued me, so I bought it… lo and behold this red/purple apple had no grape flavor at all…
Quite dissapointing : (