SC - Watermelon

[Lasairina@aol.com]

>My apologies to everyone on the list.  I have just completed some more
>investigation and the watermelon did, indeed, origionate in North Africa and
>was brought to the Americas.  I still wonder about whether it was sweet or
>whether ours today is a descendant of the bitter melons I mentioned above.
>
>Linneah
>who can sometimes be too quick to show her limited knowledge

Ibn Battuta talks about delicious melons. It seems clear from that and
other period Islamic references that there were a variety of different old
world melons, many of which were not bitter. As to watermelon in
particular, I can't say, but I see no reason to identify it with the bitter
melon you mentioned.

Modern Chinese cooking uses something called bitter melon, but I see no
reason to assume it is the same as what you mentioned.


David/Cariadoc
http://www.best.com/~ddfr/