I didn’t know what this was when I saw it in a market in Tokyo:

A Japanese friend identified the beautiful purple fruit as akebe, or akebia in English. It is a vine fruit, also called chocolate vine, native to Japan and Korea, although it withstands cold and will grow in the U.S. and other temperate climates. When it ripens in late September or October, the fruit bursts open to reveal pulp and seeds.

Akebia is not too common in markets in Japan, and according to reports seems not to be sold at all commercially outside of Japan and Korea. The equivalent of $2.80 per fruit is pricey compared to other local fruit. One source says that while the vine grows readily, it is difficult to get fruit reliably, so that most of the product is gathered from wild plants.

The fruit is beautiful, at least before it goes weird by bursting, but opinions vary as to the taste of the gelatinous milky-white pulp. Paghat’s Garden describe its as having a pleasant taste like “melon-flavored tapioca.” Others describe it as sweet but nondescript. Everyone agrees that there are a lot of black seeds.

Opinions over the taste may be due to the difference among varieties, as well as the ripeness. Varieties include pale green and lavender types as well as the deeply colored one.

We could find no commercial source for akebia on the Internet, nor any recipes that use it. The vines are available from five sources referenced by Dave’s Garden if you’d like to grow your own.