cantaloupe

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Cantaloupe or rockmelon from Australia and its cross section

Rockmelons on display in a fruit store.

Cantaloupe (also cantaloup, muskmelon or rockmelon) refers to two varieties of Cucumis melo ^[1], which is a species in the family Cucurbitaceae, 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 orange-fleshed melons of Europe; however, in more recent usage it has come to mean any orange-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.

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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. 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. Because of the Cantaloupe's unique texture, it is frequently referred to as "wickermelon"

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.

Production and use

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

Because they are descended from tropical plants, and tend to require warm temperatures throughout a relatively long growing period, cantaloupes grown in temperate climates are frequently started indoors, and grown indoors for 14 days or longer, before being transplanted outdoors.

Cantaloupe are often picked, and shipped, before fully ripening. Post-harvest practices include treatment with a sodium hypochlorite wash to prevent mold growth, and salmonella growth. However this treatment, because it can mask the melon's musky aroma, can make it difficult for the purchaser to judge the relative quality of different cantaloupes.

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 ^[4]—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.^[5]

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
• Cantaloupe Images Backyard garden showing leaves, flowers, fruits.

Footnotes