cantaloupe

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Cantaloupe (also cantaloup, muskmelon or rockmelon) refers to two varieties of (Cucumis melo) ^[1], which is a species in the family Cucurbitaceae (a family which includes nearly all melons and squashes). Cantaloupes range in size from 0.5 kg to 5.0 kg. Originally cantaloupe referred only to the non-netted oranged fleshed melons of Europe, however in more recent usage it has come to mean any oranged fleshed melon (C. melo).

Cantaloupes by region

The European cantaloupe

The European cantaloupe is Cucumis melo cantalupensis. It is lightly ribbed, with a gray-green skin that looks quite different from that of the North American cantaloupe.

The North American cantaloupe

Macro photo of the skin of a North American cantaloupe.

Cantaloupe or rockmelon from Australia and its cross section

A different type from Iran

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The North American cantaloupe, common in the United States and in some parts of Canada, is Cucumis melo reticulatus (or sometimes C. melo var. cantalupensis), a different member of the same muskmelon species. It is named reticulatus due to its net-like (or reticulated) skin covering. In Australia and New Zealand, it is called rockmelon due to the rock-like appearance of the skin of the fruit. It is called a spanspek or sweet melon in South Africa, where it is harvested during the summer months October through February. It is a round melon with firm, orange, moderately-sweet flesh and a thin reticulated light-brown rind. Varieties with redder and yellower flesh exist but are not common in the U.S market.

Origin

The cantaloupe originated in India and Africa.^[2]

Cantaloupes were originally cultivated by the Egyptians and later the Greeks and Romans^[3]

Cantaloupes were first introduced to North America by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World in 1494. The W. Atlee Burpee Company developed and introduced the "Netted Gem" in 1881 from varieties then growing in North America.^[4]

Production and use

Cantaloupes on sale in Japan for 2800 yen each. (Roughly 30 USD - Based on currency rates Feb, 2009)

Choosing a ripe melon depends on the preferences of the individual. For a heavy musk flavor and softer flesh look for an Eastern Shipper with a strong yellow color, no stem (peduncle) attached, and a strong musk odor. For a sweeter, crisper melon look for a Western shipper without stem (peduncle) and a mild musk odor. For a very sweet melon with little or no musk choose a fruit that has the stem still on the fruit and no aroma.

Cantaloupe is normally eaten as a fresh fruit, as a salad, or as a dessert with ice cream or custard. Melon pieces wrapped in prosciutto are a familiar modern antipasto. Sanjeev Kapoor describes the charentais variety: "the orange, sugary and fragrant flesh makes this fruit popular both as a dessert or main course. These have smooth gray-green rinds and very fragrant orange flesh. It keeps well when stored in a cool, dry place and ripens after several days in a warm room."

Because the surface of a cantaloupe can contain harmful bacteria—in particular, salmonella ^[5]—it is always a good idea to wash a melon thoroughly before cutting and consumption. Optimum preparation procedures Only store the fruit after cutting for less than three days to prevent risk of Salmonella or other bacterial pathogens.

A moldy cantaloupe in a Peoria, Illinois market in 1941 was found to contain the best and highest quality penicillin after a worldwide search.^[6]

Food chemistry

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Cantaloupe are a source of polyphenol antioxidants, chemicals which are known to provide certain health benefits to the cardiovascular system and immune system. These chemicals are known to up regulate the formation of nitric oxide, a key chemical in promoting health of the endothelium and prevention of heart attacks.

Cantaloupes also are an excellent source of vitamin C.

References

• Cucumis melo (TSN 22362). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on September 3 2002.
• Ensminger, Audrey H (1995). The Concise Encyclopedia of Foods & Nutrition. CRC Press: ISBN 0849344557.
• Melons and Watermelons in the Classical Era, Alfred C. Andrews, Osiris, Vol. 12, (1956), pp. 368–375
• http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Cantaloupe_-_Origin/id/62238hi

External links

• Nutritional and Historical Information
• MSNBC Article on Farming of Hybridization That Mentions Cantaloupes
• Sorting Cucumis names – Multilingual multiscript plant name database
• Growing cantaloupes in the home garden

Footnotes