Watermelons are fruits that come from a vine-like plant. They are part of the cucumber, pumpkin, and squash family.
The watermelon originated in North East Africa. It was heavily cultivated in Egypt and India as far back as 2500 BC. as an important water source when all else failed.
These early watermelons were pale-green, and bitter. As watermelons were bred to become sweeter, their flesh slowly changed to red.
Stainless steel and plastic water bottles are all the rage now, but early explorers used watermelons as portable canteens.
The painting below is Still Life with Watermelons, Pineapple and Other Fruit by Albert Eckhout, a Dutch artist active in 17th-century Brazil.
The Watermelon War was a riot in Panama City on April 15, 1856, then the capital of Panama State in the Republic of New Granada. It started because a drunken American wouldn't pay five cents for a slice of watermelon. It led to the death of 15 Americans and two Panamanians.
During the Civil War the Confederate Army boiled down watermelons as a source of sugar and molasses.
In 2007, Oklahoma's House of Representatives declared the watermelon to be the state vegetable despite the fact that most people see it as a fruit.
While watermelon is a fruit, its rind can be used as a vegetable.
Watermelon is 92 percent water.
About 6% of a watermelon is sugar, which makes it very sweet.
The average American eats 15 pounds of watermelon a year.
The heaviest ever watermelon weighed a whopping 159 kg (350.5 lb). It was grown by Chris Kent of Sevierville, Tennessee, USA, as verified by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth on October 4, 2013. Kent's watermelon was a Carolina Cross variety, which is known for its large size and sweet flavor. He grew the melon in his backyard using a variety of techniques to maximize its size, including hand-pollination and careful fertilization. The watermelon was so large that Kent had to use a forklift to move it to the weigh-in station.
Calorie wise, a two cup serving of watermelon contains 80 calories.
Watermelons are a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and vitamin B1.
Watermelons are a good source of lycopene, an antioxidant that reduces the risk of prostate, lung, and stomach cancer.
Drinking watermelon juice before working out reduces muscle soreness, as well as the amount of time it takes for your heart rate to recover.
The scent of watermelon is hard to replicate due to the unstable nature of aldehydes, the compounds responsible for the fruit's sweet smell.
Though it's most commonly consumed as is, the watermelon can be used to make beer, and the rinds can be pickled.
The black seeds in a watermelon are mature seeds ready for planting. The white seeds are immature seeds that have not fully matured.
China produces 68% of the world's watermelons. They produce 20 times more than the second highest producer Turkey.
In Japan, they grow watermelons in square containers to make them easier to stack in supermarkets.
In Romanian, "Îl sco?i din pepeni"—literally, to pull someone out of their watermelons— means "to drive them crazy."
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| Pixiebay |
WATERMELONS IN HISTORY
The watermelon originated in North East Africa. It was heavily cultivated in Egypt and India as far back as 2500 BC. as an important water source when all else failed.
These early watermelons were pale-green, and bitter. As watermelons were bred to become sweeter, their flesh slowly changed to red.
Stainless steel and plastic water bottles are all the rage now, but early explorers used watermelons as portable canteens.
The painting below is Still Life with Watermelons, Pineapple and Other Fruit by Albert Eckhout, a Dutch artist active in 17th-century Brazil.
The Watermelon War was a riot in Panama City on April 15, 1856, then the capital of Panama State in the Republic of New Granada. It started because a drunken American wouldn't pay five cents for a slice of watermelon. It led to the death of 15 Americans and two Panamanians.
During the Civil War the Confederate Army boiled down watermelons as a source of sugar and molasses.
In 2007, Oklahoma's House of Representatives declared the watermelon to be the state vegetable despite the fact that most people see it as a fruit.
FUN WATERMELON FACTS
While watermelon is a fruit, its rind can be used as a vegetable.
Watermelon is 92 percent water.
About 6% of a watermelon is sugar, which makes it very sweet.
 |
| Pixiebay |
The average American eats 15 pounds of watermelon a year.
The heaviest ever watermelon weighed a whopping 159 kg (350.5 lb). It was grown by Chris Kent of Sevierville, Tennessee, USA, as verified by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth on October 4, 2013. Kent's watermelon was a Carolina Cross variety, which is known for its large size and sweet flavor. He grew the melon in his backyard using a variety of techniques to maximize its size, including hand-pollination and careful fertilization. The watermelon was so large that Kent had to use a forklift to move it to the weigh-in station.
Calorie wise, a two cup serving of watermelon contains 80 calories.
Watermelons are a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and vitamin B1.
Watermelons are a good source of lycopene, an antioxidant that reduces the risk of prostate, lung, and stomach cancer.
Drinking watermelon juice before working out reduces muscle soreness, as well as the amount of time it takes for your heart rate to recover.
The scent of watermelon is hard to replicate due to the unstable nature of aldehydes, the compounds responsible for the fruit's sweet smell.
Though it's most commonly consumed as is, the watermelon can be used to make beer, and the rinds can be pickled.
The black seeds in a watermelon are mature seeds ready for planting. The white seeds are immature seeds that have not fully matured.
China produces 68% of the world's watermelons. They produce 20 times more than the second highest producer Turkey.
In Japan, they grow watermelons in square containers to make them easier to stack in supermarkets.
In Romanian, "Îl sco?i din pepeni"—literally, to pull someone out of their watermelons— means "to drive them crazy."
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