Citron melon, also known as indyandya, intyabontyi or ubhece, is one of those fruits that takes us back home. Just seeing it brings memories rushing in.
In the villages, food was never something you ate alone. One neighbour would pick it from the garden, another would bring the mealie meal, and under the shade of a tree, bowls were passed around as laughter drifted through the air. That’s what food meant – togetherness, love and care in every spoonful.
Some would switch things up with mealie rice for a bit of variety, but umqa, citron melon cooked with maize meal, remains a dish that speaks volumes.
The seemingly simple fruit, also known as makataan or wild watermelon, is full of heart, connecting us to our roots and the people who shaped us.
Cooking up memories
Growing up in Kwaskisazana in Sterkspruit, Eastern Cape, chef and food activist Nonhlanhla Moroenyane, now based in Kensington, Gauteng, remembers citron melon as one of the dishes that always brought people together.
Back home, it was cooked with maize meal and amagqwagqa (pumpkin leaves), sometimes sweetened, sometimes just as it was, she says.
“Where I come from, most families had their food gardens. Ubhece was a regular dish, often paired with amathanga (pumpkins) or dried pumpkins, which were naturally sweet,” she says.
“It was our breakfast treat if we added sugar. But most of the time, we had it plain with ground maize.”
Nonhlanhla Moroenyane
She describes the food from back then as full and honest with no processed ingredients, no shortcuts.
Now, looking back, she says she’d love to honour those flavours in her own way: “Imagine mabele cooked with ubhece and pumpkin greens, made soft with coconut milk and a bit of plant butter. That would take me straight back to those who fed and raised us.”
And if you’re in the mood for something different? She says, “Try it with fermented mabele, then finish it off with coconut milk, fresh fruit and a few dates on the side.”
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What citron melon does for your health
Citron watermelon’s edible plant parts – such as the leaves, fruit and seeds – could serve as potent sources of essential minerals, explains Mpho Tshukudu, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Association for Dietetics in South Africa (Adsa).
She says the seeds are especially rich in:
- Zinc, which supports immune health and wound healing
- Iron, essential for red blood cells, haemoglobin, and keeping energy levels up.
- Calcium contributes to strong bones, muscle health and heart function.
- Magnesium, which supports muscle and nerve function, regulates blood pressure, aids digestion and promotes restful sleep.
- Essential fatty acids, which help reduce inflammation.
- Protein, needed for tissue repair, blood sugar balance and immune function.
Tshukudu adds that the fruit flesh itself is also nutritious. It contains:
- Potassium for blood pressure and heart health.
- Pectin, a prebiotic that supports gut health, blood sugar control and keeps you fuller for longer.
- Fibre for digestion and blood sugar regulation.
- Beta-carotene for immune health.
- Vitamin C for immunity, wound healing and iron absorption. Pairing the seeds and the fruit makes for a smart way to boost iron uptake.
Also, orange-fleshed citron watermelon, in particular, contains more beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A.
Not all fruits are sweet
“Citron melon is a fruit. I think the reason people say it is a vegetable is because it is not sweet. Similar to people who say an avocado and tomato are fruit,” explains Tshukudu.
She notes that indigenous and naturalised vegetables in Southern Africa are not sweet, such as num-num, marula, wild medlar, mobola plum, monkey orange, and sour fig, kei apple, baobab, banana ka Shaka (ukhova), a variety of berries, etc.
Tshukudu adds that citron melon is high in pectin, which acts as a prebiotic to improve the gut microbiome and assist in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, including carbohydrates.
“A lot of people with diabetes have excess weight. Also, because this melon is non-sweet, it has lower sugar levels compared to other melons and fruits.”
Dietitian Mpho Tshukudu
It also has lower calories, and Tshukudu says it helps to lower blood sugar levels and can assist in keeping you fuller for longer, which helps in weight control.
Cooking with tradition
Tshukudu says that due to their high phytonutrient content, they tend to be bitter in taste. Boiling and preserving the leaves can reduce this bitterness.
“The leaves are relatively less bitter during the vegetative growth stage compared with flowering and fruit set stages.”
She adds, “In Sepedi, freshly harvested succulent leaves are referred to as ‘motshatsha’. They are cooked with tomatoes and salt and smoked with sorghum or maize porridge.”
Citron melon is also used to make jam because of its high pectin content, though Tshukudu notes that a lot of sugar is added to sweeten it.
“It is also dried, like dried mango and has a milk toffee taste and eaten with the roasted seeds ‘dithotse’.”
Although not as common now, the fruit is sometimes eaten raw, particularly by hunters or herdsmen who rely on it for hydration due to its high water content.
Thopi recipe by Mpho Tshukudu
Ingredients:
- 1 melon, peel and cut into 2-3 cm cubes
- 500ml sorghum or pearl millet meal
- 100g melon seeds, roasted and ground
- 500ml milk or sour milk
Method:
- Boil the melon in water, enough to cover, until tender.
- Pour the sorghum or millet meal, mix well and cook for 20 – 30 minutes at low heat.
- Add more water to reach the desired consistency.
- Add the ground nuts and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Serve with sour milk or milk.
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