[Sca-cooks] watermelons

[Terry Decker]

There is a lot of variation in watermelons.  Here is a selection of modern 
cultivars including some that look like they might be similar to painting if 
cut across rather than length wise.

The same type of melon shows up in several paintings by Caravaggio, so it 
probably is a common watermelon of the day, but I doubt it is the only 
watermelon varietal around given some of the variants that show up in 
herbals.  It's possible the artists chose this melon for its artistic look.

https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/caravaggio/08.html
https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/caravaggio/15.html
https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/caravaggio/16.html
http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_371031/%28after%29-Abraham-Brueghel/Still-Life-Life-With-Grapes%2C-A-Melon%2C-Figs%2C-Plums%2C-Peaches-And-Various-Flowers-In-A-Landscape

The seed structure is not unusual.  As far as I have been able to determine, 
six roughly circular seed grouping extend longitudinally through all seeded 
watermelons, but I haven't been able to verify this opinion.  The thick rind 
and spiral seed structure are similar to C. lanatus var. citroides.  The 
flesh color is that of C. lanatus var. lanatus.  Both subspecies are 
watermelons and can interbreed, so it is possible that the melon illustrated 
is a hybrid.  The culinary differentiation between the subspecies is 
generally that lanatus represents the sweet dessert watermelons that can be 
eaten raw while citroides are hard fleshed and somewhat bitter and are 
usually cooked, pickled or preserved.

The Egyptian melon of Antiquity and the early Roman melon are probably 
citron melons (citroides).

Todd Wehner (NC State horticulturalist) points out that seedless watermelons 
are triploids (three sets of genes) which increases the genes providing 
taste and aroma giving you more of a good thing.  Insipid flavor in a 
seedless watermelon is a result of when they were harvested and how far they 
travelled.

Bear

<<<A Renaissance painting  reveals how breeding changed watermelons
http://www.vox.com/2015/7/28/9050469/watermelon-breeding-paintings

An interesting detail here is that older watermelons seem to have had seed
cavities, though roughly spiral shaped. This means the seeds might not have
been  embedded in the flesh as they are now. >>>

Thank you for posting this. Wow. a lot more rind in that medieval 
watermelon. In only 500 years. That clarifies some of the earlier discussion 
on the ‘Roman’ melon and why that description may differ from what we think 
of as watermelon.

I have wondered recently whether our search for seedless watermelons has 
traded off taste for less seeds. But looking at that painting, it sure looks 
like the modern watermelons would taste better.

Stefan