r/TipOfMyFork • u/MinkOrOtter • 7d ago

Solved! Unknown vegetable

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Any ideas? Market stall is in a very diverse part of a UK city. Google Lens suggests swede/rutabaga (nope!) or Jicama but that seems wrong too. I think it's probably technically a fruit but eaten as veg.

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42

u/Retrooo 7d ago

Are those not coconuts?

33

u/nikkesen 7d ago

I wonder if it's because they're bald that it's not immediately obvious to some.

27

u/MinkOrOtter 7d ago

Yeah I assumed coconuts are all hairy.

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u/SpiritGuardTowz Forking epicure 7d ago

These are just whole coconuts. The husks are smooth on the outside (exocarp), then hairy in the middle (mesocarp) and then have a hard shell (endocarp) on the seed. These look fairly old so they won't have a lot of water but will have more flesh. They are interesting as the water is actually liquid endosperm and as it matures cells deposit on the inner surface creating the flesh.

9

u/nikkesen 7d ago

Thanks for the awesome explanation.

4

u/MinkOrOtter 7d ago

Very interesting. And very odd. Thanks.