Cantaloupe
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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]
Contents
Etymology[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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 from Australia
and its cross-section |
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| 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 μg26 μg
|
| Thiamine (B1) |
(4%)
0.041 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
(2%)
0.019 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
(5%)
0.734 mg |
|
(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 |
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|
|
|
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| Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
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References[edit]
- ^ a b "Taxon: Cucumis melo L. subsp. melo var. cantalupo Ser.". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Area. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
- ^ "Cantaloupe". WHFoods. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary 2nd Ed. (1989)
- ^ Ensminger: 159
- ^ Andrews: 1956
- ^ a b "Sweet, colorful 'cantaloupe': low-cal, nutritious". Environmental Nutrition 26 (7). July 2003.
- ^ Munnoch, S. A.; Ward, K.; Sheridan, S.; Fitzsimmons, G. J.; Shadbolt, C. T.; Piispanen, J. P.; Wang, Q.; Ward, T. J.; Worgan, T. L. M.; Oxenford, C.; Musto, J. A.; McANULTY, J.; Durrheim, D. N. (2009). "A multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul in Australia associated with cantaloupe consumption". Epidemiology and Infection 137 (3): 367–74. doi:10.1017/S0950268808000861. PMID 18559128.
- ^ "Kentucky: Cabinet for Health and Family Services - Salmonella2012". Retrieved 2012-08-18.
In general, the FDA recommends thoroughly washing and scrubbing the rinds of all cantaloupes and melons prior to cutting and slicing, and to keep sliced melons refrigerated prior to eating.
- ^ Mary Bellis, History of Penicillin - Alexander Fleming - John Sheehan - Andrew Moyer
- "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.
- Andrews, Alfred C. (1956). "Melons and Watermelons in the Classical Era". Osiris 12: 368–75. JSTOR 301715.
- Cantaloupe - Origin Global Oneness
External links[edit]
Media related to Cucumis melo cantaloupe group at Wikimedia Commons- 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.
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