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(Cucumis melo) Grown since ancient times,
these trailing vines yield fruit high in water and, despite their
sweetness, quite low in calories. A popular finish to the meal, they are
sold at roadside stalls (chilled and behind glass) as a thirst quenching
snack. The main varieties are described below.
Honeydew Melon : Sought after in Japan,
their fragrance is mimicked by an internationally famous green liquor.
Honeydew melon is also an ingredient in a popular Singaporean dessert
which includes finely diced melon, coconut milk and sago. If honeydew
melon is not available, use another green-fleshed melon such as galia or
ogen.
Musk melon : Closely related
to the cantaloupe or rockmelon. So highly prized were they by the
wealthy in India that they were brought in from Samarkand. The Japanese
also enjoy this fragrant and sweetly perfumed melon. It may be
identified by the cream-colored, ropey netting overlaying a skin shaded
green to apricot, with or without vertical indentations marking it into
segments. The orange flesh is sweetly succulent. Sometimes called netted
melon or nutmeg melon, presumably because the netting resembles the lacy
shroud of mace that veils the nutmeg seed.
Rockmelon : Also known as
cantaloupe and musk melon. Although more common than the true musk
melon, a good rockmelon can be ambrosial. When choosing a melon, look
for one that is not bruised and is free of mould at the stem end. Hold
the fruit to your nose and inhale. If it is sweetly perfumed, there is a
good chance it will be sweet tasting. Unfortunately, with melons more
than most other fruit, there are no guarantees. If you are unlucky
enough to get one with little flavor, remove the seeds, peel off the
skin and dice the flesh. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar
and, if liked, fine slices of glace ginger. Allow to macerate at least
an hour. Toss and serve, on its own or with ice-cream.
Watermelon : (Citrullus
vulgaris, C.lanatus) The largest of all the sweet melons, its fruit
are round or oval with an all-over light green skin, or a pale green
skin with dark green veining or stripes. Believed to have originated in
Africa, it would appear to have been long cultivated in India, as there
is a Sanskrit name for it. What better vehicle for talented Thai and
Chinese artists who hollow it out and turn it into a decorative as well
as functional centerpiece. The green skin contrasts vividly with the
white rind and shows off to best effect their intricate carvings. The
decorated vessel is then used to serve sweet soup or fruit.
Once picked, a watermelon will not get
sweeter but will, in fact, begin to slowly deteriorate and its flesh
become softer. Fresh, ripe watermelon flesh should be firm and a deep
shade of pink and the mature seeds black or brown, though there are
varieties bred with white seeds and some with yellow flesh (sometimes
called champagne melons). Choose a melon with a matt skin, rather than a
shiny one.
Wherever possible, buy whole fruit,
especially when traveling. Once cut, refrigerate and consume watermelon
within a few days. Once the flesh takes on a red color and a shiny look
it is not worth eating, nor is it once it has absorbed refrigerator
odors. The white rind of watermelon may be picked or, like that of
winter melon, candied.
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