Square-shaped watermelons from Japan are becoming a trendy item in Hanoi, Vietnam. These unique watermelons are being sold by select fruit vendors at a premium price of 4.5 million VND per fruit.
Vietnamese watermelons cost only around 10-20 thousand VND/kg or approximately 40-100 thousand VND/fruit. However, the Japanese square watermelon costs 45-112 times more than that, yet it remains popular among wealthy buyers in Hanoi.
According to sellers in Hanoi, the square watermelons they offer are quite popular and hailed from Japan’s Shikoku archipelago. Interestingly, these watermelons are not naturally square-shaped and require a special technique to achieve their unique appearance. Melon farmers in the region use a wide metal mold, measuring 18cm in length, to reshape the fruit as it grows. The molds must be frequently changed to accommodate the melons’ growth rate, ensuring a square shape is maintained.
In Japan, square watermelons are known to be quite pricey. When they are in short supply, each square-shaped fruit can fetch a selling price of 100-200 USD (equivalent to 2.3-4.6 million VND). Interestingly, even in foreign markets, the cost of these unique fruits is around 800 USD (approximately 18.6 million VND) per fruit. On a similar note, have you ever heard of square apples?
A single square-shaped apple can cost you around 7 USD (more than 150,000 VND). The unique variety of these apples was developed by Mr. Lee Chong Boun, and it took him five years to cultivate and shape them with the help of the local agricultural center.
This apple may seem like any other, but it went through a unique transformation. It was molded into a square shape and adorned with engraved words during its growth process.
In addition to cultivating red square apples, certain horticulturists also choose to grow green square apples. Additionally, there are square grapefruits that exist as well.
A gardener from Ben Tre has come up with an innovative way to celebrate Tet by introducing a new variety of square grapefruit engraved with the words Tai and Loc. According to the gardener, it took him a considerable amount of time and effort to conduct thorough research and develop the golden grapefruit bars.
According to Dan Viet’s photo, this particular fruit is estimated to be priced between 500,000 to 800,000 Vietnamese Dong when it hits the market.
Dan Viet’s photo showcases a unique square-shaped grapefruit, which was created by garden owner Mr. Tam. To achieve this shape, Mr. Tam carefully selected young, small fruit with good development before placing them in a mold that he researched himself. After waiting for five months, the final product was ready. While a regular green-skinned grapefruit weighs around 2kg, the squared version is compressed to only 1.5kg.
Did you know that square tomato stems exist? It’s true! They can be found on some tomato plants and are a fascinating quirk of nature.
How about an orange shaped like a square?
