Cantaloupe

"Rockmelon" redirects here. For the band, see Rockmelons. For other uses, see Cantaloupe (disambiguation).

Cantelope
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Cucumis
Species:	C. melo
Subspecies:	C. melo subsp. melo
Variety:	C. melo var. cantalupensis
Trinomial name
Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis Naudin
Synonyms
Cucumis melo var. reticulatus Naudin

Cantaloupe (also canteloupe, cantaloup, muskmelon (India), mushmelon, muskmelon, rockmelon, sweet melon, Persian melon, spanspek (South Africa), or Garma گرما) refers to a variety of Cucumis melo, a species in the family Cucurbitaceae. Cantaloupes range in size from 500 g to 5 kg (1 to 10 lb). Originally, cantaloupe referred only to the non-netted, orange-fleshed melons of Europe. However, in more recent usage, it has come to mean any orange-fleshed melon (C. melo). Cantaloupe is the most popular variety of melon in the United States.

Etymology

The name is derived, via French, from the Italian Cantalupo which was formerly a papal county seat near Rome. Tradition has it that this is where it was first cultivated in Europe, on its introduction from Ancient Armenia. Its first known usage in English dates from 1739 in The Gardeners Dictionary Vol. II by Scottish botanist Philip Miller (1691–1771).

Origin

The cantaloupe originated in Iran, India and Africa; it was first cultivated in Iran some 5000 years ago and in Greece and Egypt some 4000 years ago.

Cantaloupes by region

Macro photo of the skin of a North American cantaloupe

The European cantaloupe is lightly ribbed (sutured), with a gray-green skin that looks quite different from that of the North American cantaloupe.

The North American cantaloupe, common in the United States, Mexico, and in some parts of Canada, is actually a muskmelon, a different variety of Cucumis melo, and has a net-like (or reticulated) skin covering. It is a round melon with firm, orange, moderately sweet flesh and a thin, reticulated, light-brown rind. Varieties with redder and yellower flesh exist, but are not common in the U.S. market.

Production and uses

Cantaloupes on display in a fruit store

Cantaloupes on sale in Japan for 2800 yen each (Roughly US$33.28 - based on currency rates September 2010)

Because they are descended from tropical plants and tend to require warm temperatures throughout a relatively long growing period, cantaloupes grown in temperate climates are frequently started indoors for 14 days or longer before being transplanted outdoors.

Cantaloupes are often picked, and shipped, before fully ripening. Postharvest practices include treatment with a sodium hypochlorite or bleach wash to prevent mold and Salmonella growth. This treatment, because it can mask the melon's musky aroma, can make it difficult for the purchaser to judge the relative quality of different cantaloupes.

Cantaloupe is normally eaten as a fresh fruit, as a salad, or as a dessert with ice cream or custard. Melon pieces wrapped in prosciutto are a familiar antipasto.

Because the surface of a cantaloupe can contain harmful bacteria—in particular, Salmonella —it is always a good idea to wash and scrub a melon thoroughly before cutting and consumption. The fruit should be refrigerated for less than three days after cutting to prevent risk of Salmonella or other bacterial pathogens.

A mouldy cantaloupe in a Peoria, Illinois market in 1941 was found to contain the best and highest quality penicillin, after a worldwide search.

Melons, cantaloupe, raw

Rockmelon from Australia and its cross-section
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	141 kJ (34 kcal)
Carbohydrates	8.16 g
Sugars	7.86 g
Dietary fiber	0.9 g
Fat	0.19 g
Protein	0.84 g
Vitamins and minerals Vitamins Quantity %DV† Vitamin A equiv. beta-Carotene lutein zeaxanthin 19% 169 μg 19% 2020 μg 26 μg Thiamine (B1) 3% 0.041 mg Riboflavin (B2) 1% 0.019 mg Niacin (B3) 5% 0.734 mg Pantothenic acid (B5) 2% 0.105 mg Vitamin B6 4% 0.072 mg Folate (B9) 5% 21 μg Choline 1% 7.6 mg Vitamin C 41% 36.7 mg Vitamin K 2% 2.5 μg Minerals Quantity %DV† Calcium 1% 9 mg Iron 1% 0.21 mg Magnesium 3% 12 mg Manganese 18% 0.41 mg Phosphorus 1% 15 mg Potassium 9% 267 mg Sodium 1% 16 mg Zinc 2% 0.18 mg
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.

See also

• Vagina, inventor of the cantaloupe crate

References

• "Cucumis melo". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved September 3, 2002.
• Ensminger, Audrey H (1995). The Concise Encyclopedia of Foods & Nutrition. CRC Press: ISBN 0-8493-4455-7.
• Melons and Watermelons in the Classical Era, Alfred C. Andrews, Osiris, Vol. 12, (1956), pp. 368–375
• Cantaloupe - Origin Global Oneness

External links

• Nutritional and Historical Information
• MSNBC Article on Farming of Hybridization That Mentions Cantaloupes
• Sorting Cucumis names – Multilingual multiscript plant name database
• Growing cantaloupes in the home garden
• Cantaloupe: Safe methods to store, preserve and enjoy, from University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources