Cantaloupe

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"Rockmelon" redirects here. For the band, see Rockmelons. For other uses, see Cantaloupe (disambiguation).
Cantaloupe
Cantaloupes.jpg
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. cantalupo
Trinomial name
Cucumis melo var. cantalupo[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis Naudin
  • Cucumis melo var. reticulatus Naudin
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Cantaloupe (also cantelope, cantaloup, muskmelon (India and the United States), mushmelon, rockmelon, sweet melon, honeydew, Persian melon, or spanspek (South Africa)) refers to a variety of Cucumis melo, a species in the family Cucurbitaceae.

Cantaloupes range in weight from 0.5 to 5 kilograms (1.1 to 11.0 lb). Originally, cantaloupe referred only to the non-netted, orange-fleshed melons of Europe.[citation needed] However, in more recent US usage, it has come to mean any orange-fleshed melon (C. melo). Cantaloupe is the most popular variety of melon in the United States.[2]

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.[3]

Origin

The cantaloupe originated in Iran, India and Africa;[4] it was first cultivated in Iran some 5000 years ago and in Greece and Egypt some 4000 years ago.[5]

Cantaloupes by region

Macro photo of the skin of a North American cantaloupe

The European cantaloupe is lightly ribbed (sutured), with a sweet and flavorful flesh and a gray-green skin that looks quite different from that of the North American cantaloupe.[6]

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.[6] Varieties with redder and yellower flesh exist, but are not common in the US market.[citation needed]

Production and uses

Cantaloupes on display in a fruit store
Cantaloupes on sale in Japan in July 2006 for 2800 yen each, about US$25 at the time

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[7]—it is recommended to wash and scrub a melon thoroughly before cutting and consumption. The fruit should be refrigerated and consumed less than three days after cutting to prevent risk of Salmonella or other bacterial pathogens.[8]

A moldy cantaloupe in a Peoria, Illinois market in 1943 was found to contain the highest yielding strain of mold for penicillin production, after a worldwide search.[9]

Cantaloupe
Canteloupe and cross section.jpg
Cantaloupe from Australia
and its cross-section
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 141 kJ (34 kcal)
8.16 g
Sugars 7.86 g
Dietary fiber 0.9 g
0.19 g
0.84 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv.
(21%)
169 μg
(19%)
2020 μg
26 μg
Thiamine (B1)
(4%)
0.041 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
(2%)
0.019 mg
Niacin (B3)
(5%)
0.734 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
(2%)
0.105 mg
Vitamin B6
(6%)
0.072 mg
Folate (B9)
(5%)
21 μg
Choline
(2%)
7.6 mg
Vitamin C
(44%)
36.7 mg
Vitamin K
(2%)
2.5 μg
Minerals
Calcium
(1%)
9 mg
Iron
(2%)
0.21 mg
Magnesium
(3%)
12 mg
Manganese
(20%)
0.41 mg
Phosphorus
(2%)
15 mg
Potassium
(6%)
267 mg
Sodium
(1%)
16 mg
Zinc
(2%)
0.18 mg
Link to USDA Database entry
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database



References

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  • Ensminger, Audrey H (1995). The Concise Encyclopedia of Foods & Nutrition. CRC Press: ISBN 0-8493-4455-7.
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  • Cantaloupe - Origin Global Oneness

External links


  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Oxford English Dictionary 2nd Ed. (1989)
  4. ↑ Ensminger: 159
  5. ↑ Andrews: 1956
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Mary Bellis, History of Penicillin - Alexander Fleming - John Sheehan - Andrew Moyer
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