Commuting daily across a desert could be an enormous task to bear, irrespective of whether you are on the four-footed camel or your four-wheeler SUV. By misfortune, if a sultry sunny day is your co-passenger, then you are bound to feel parched and bone dry than usual. Perhaps a thirst quencher in any form will bestow some relief to you. What if it is a watermelon?
To taste a watermelon is to know “what the angels eat,” Mark Twain proclaimed. The ancestral and ancient version of the modern-day watermelon has a history in the southern part of Africa, grown 5000 years ago by the people residing along the vast Kalahari Desert.
Research and studies assert a wild variety of the Sudanese plant “Kordofan Melon” is the closest relative of this delicious succulent piece. The fruit was adored for its ability to store water and grow in the harsh summers and` able to bear drought or dry, hot climate.
There are still many theories and claims on how the seed travelled worldwide, but present-day China is the leading producer holding 67% of the global production, followed by Turkey and Iran.
There are many naturally occurring hues of this juicy melon but the red flesh variety that we consume today happen to originate from the yellow variance.
The yellow colour is due to the lack of the pigment “lycopene”, which is responsible for the reddish colour in other fruits and vegetables. Indeed this yellow fruit possesses a sweet honey-like flavour and thicker rind than its red kinsman. With similar nutritional value, high in Vitamin A and C, it can boost the immune system and skin health. In addition, the yellow watermelon has more “beta-carotene”, which is an antioxidant that may protect against cancer and eye diseases.
Countries cultivating the seed of this bright sunny yellow melon have the following popular variety – yellow crimson, desert king yellow, yellow doll, buttercup, tastigold, etc.
Which colour would you toss for tomorrow when you have both yellow and a red watermelon?
