There cannot be anything more refreshing than having watermelon on a hot summer day. Call it a vegetable or fruit, it doesn’t matter. Come summer, the markets are flooded with various watermelons. The scientific name of the watermelon is Citrullus lanatus.
The watermelon is believed to have originated in tropical Africa. It was also found cultivated in Italy, India, and Southern Asia as well. Europeans introduced this fruit in America and since then it has been cultivated widely throughout the American continent – from Chile to the United States.
The watermelon stem is a vine, which can be 12 to 15 ft in length, and branches in various directions. Leaves are large, numerous, and develop on alternate sides of the stem. The fruit comes in different sizes and shapes, ranging from round to oval and weighing 5 to 40 pounds. The inner flesh may be red, or golden yellow (in some species) and may contain seeds or come in seedless varieties.
Most Common Varieties of Watermelon
Though watermelon comes in almost 50 varieties, 4 of them are the most common. They are:
AllSweet – rind dark green, flesh red, oblong shape
Ice Box – dark or light green rind, red or yellow flesh, round shape
Seedless – light green rind with dark green strips, red or yellow flesh, round or oval shape
Yellow Flesh – light green rind, with mottled stripes, yellow to orange flesh, oblong to long shape
All these varieties have the same botanical or scientific name – Citrullus lanatus.
When choosing a watermelon, select a symmetrical melon without scars, holes, cracks, or indentations. The rind should be dull in color rather than bright and shiny. Watermelons are best if kept inside the refrigerator, but you can also keep uncut watermelons at room temperature for a couple of days.
Cut a watermelon in slices, cubes, or chunks and simply eat them as a snack or thirst quencher. You can also eat this fruit in the form of juice, or combine it with other fruits to enhance the looks and taste of your fruit salad.
Watermelon is the most refreshing among fruits. It contains 92% water and 8% sugar. Watermelon is also fat-free and cholesterol-free and contains a rich amount of Vitamin A and C.
