Cantaloupe

Did You Know?

• The name cantaloupe derived from the French and Italian languages in relation to Cantalupo, a summer estate of the Vatican City, where these melons were first grown in the 18th century.
• The name was first used in English in 1739.
• According to one source, cantaloupes were cultivated in Egypt and migrated across to Iran and Northwest India dating as far back to Biblical times, about 2400 BC.

Types

The true or European cantaloupe (Cantalupensis group) has non- to slightly netted rind and orange flesh. Its subgroups include Prescott, with deeply ribbed rind; Saccharinu, with speckled and slightly ribbed rind; and Charentais, with non-speckled, slightly ribbed and green-sutured rind. The Israeli cantaloupe (subgroup Ha'Ogen) resembles the European type but has green flesh. The muskmelon or American cantaloupe (also Cantalupensis group) has strongly netted rind and orange flesh, with subgroups American Western (non- to slightly ribbed, wholly netted) and American Eastern (more or less ribbed, sutures not or less netted).

Some sources include Tuscan melons among American cantaloupes; these have smaller seed cavities like American western varieties and ribs like American eastern varieties, and their flavor may differ due to higher production of ester compounds. A melon with netted rind is not necessarily a cantaloupe, as many varieties of Chandalak group and Ameri group also have netted rind. The Japanese muskmelon (subgroup Earl's) resembles the American cantaloupe in netted rind but has green flesh and non-dehiscent peduncles, leading some horticulturists to classify it under Inodorus group instead.

Uses

Cantaloupe is often enjoyed fresh, in salads, or as a dessert paired with ice cream or custard. Wrapping melon slices in prosciutto is a common antipasto. The seeds are also edible and can be dried for snacking. Because the rind may harbor harmful bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria, it is important to wash and scrub the melon thoroughly before cutting and eating to reduce the risk of infection. In 1943, a moldy cantaloupe found at a market in Peoria, Illinois, turned out to contain the most productive strain of mold for making penicillin, discovered after a global search.