[Sca-cooks] Watermelon

[Terri Spencer]

This showed up in my mailbox today and thought it might be of interest.
 The last fact makes me wonder what the English called the watermelon
prior to 1615. Does anyone know?

Tara
 

Fun Facts about Watermelon

Watermelon is grown in over 96 countries worldwide. 

In China and Japan, watermelon is a popular gift to bring a host. 
In Israel and Egypt, the sweet taste of watermelon is often paired with
the salty taste of feta cheese. 

Watermelon is 92% water. 

Watermelon's official name is Citrullus lanatus of the botanical family
Cucurbitaceae, and it is a vegetable! It is related to cucumbers,
pumpkins and squash. 

By weight, watermelon is the most-consumed melon in the U.S., followed
by cantaloupe and honeydew. 

Early explorers used watermelons as canteens. 

The first cookbook published in the United States (1796) contained a
recipe for watermelon rind pickles. 

Food Historian John Martin Taylor says that early Greek settlers
brought the method of pickling watermelon with them to Charleston,
South Carolina. 

A watermelon was once thrown at Roman Governor Demosthenes during a
political debate. Placing the watermelon upon his head, he thanked the
thrower for providing him with a helmet to wear as he fought Philip of
Macedonia. 

In 1990, Bill Carson of Arrington, Tennessee, grew the largest
watermelon, which at 262 pounds is still on the record books according
to the 1998 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. 

In 2001, over 4 billion pounds of watermelon were produced in the
United States. 

Watermelon is an ideal health food because it doesn't contain any fat
or cholesterol, is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6 and C, and
contains fiber and potassium. 

Contrary to popular belief, eating watermelon seeds does not cause a
watermelon to grow in your stomach. Actually, in some cultures it is
popular to bake the seeds and then eat them.

Over 1,200 varieties of watermelon are grown worldwide. 

Every part of a watermelon is edible, even the seeds and rinds. 

The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago
in Egypt. 

The word "watermelon" first appeared in the English dictionary in 1615.


Information provided by the National Watermelon Promotion Board. Visit
watermelon.org for more tips and information.



		
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