Oriental melon

Theoriental melon(Cucumis meloMakuwa Group) is a group ofCucumis melocultivars that are produced inEast Asia.Phylogeneticstudies tracing the genetic lineage of the plant suggest that it may have originated in easternIndia, having then spread to China over theSilk Road, from which it was introduced to Korea and Japan.Its flavour has been described as a cross between ahoneydew melonand acucumber.It is noticeably less sweet than Western varieties of melon, and consists of about 90% water.The fruits are commonly eaten fresh; with its thin rind and small seeds, the melon can be eaten whole.
In China, Oriental melon is locally calledxiāng guā(香瓜, "fragrant melon"). It was calledtián guā(甜瓜, "sweet melon"),gān guā(甘瓜, "sweet melon") orguǒ guā(果瓜, "fruit melon") in ancient times.However, the latter two names are seldom in use now, andtián guā(甜瓜) has become the name of the speciesCucumis melo, thereby also referring to other types of melon such ascantaloupeandhoneydew.
The Korean namechamoe(참외[tɕʰɐmø]) is a composite of words:chammeaning "true" or "real" andoemeaning "cucumber (melon)".It is thought that the oriental melon was introduced to Korea through China during theThree Kingdoms period.The fruit has long enjoyed popularity in Korea, where it is considered therepresentativefruit of summer.Oriental melons are sometimes made into a side dish, calledchamoe-jangajji, whereby they are pickled with spices.In 2017, 41,943 hectares (103,640 acres) of land was used for their cultivation, yielding about 166,281 tonnes (183,293 short tons) of melons.Seongju CountyinNorth Gyeongsang Province,South Koreais famous as the centre of oriental melon cultivation in Korea, with farms in the area comprising 70% of total production in the country.
In Japanese, they are calledmakuwa uri(真桑瓜[ma.kɯ̟.waɯ̟ɾi]). Oriental melon seeds have been found inJōmon periodarchaeological sites, attesting to the long history of cultivation in Japan. The namemakuwa uriis said to derive from the village of Makuwa, in the ancient province ofMino(now part ofMotosu, Gifu), which became known for its high-quality Oriental melons in the 2nd century AD. They were once widely eaten in Japan, having been so common that the general worduri(瓜), meaning gourd or melon, came to refer specifically to the Oriental melon.Starting in 1925, when the first western melon cultivars were introduced, the Oriental melon began to fall out of favour among wealthy consumers, and by the late 20th century came to be thought of as a peasant food.It is commonly used as an offering during theBon Festival, with the period around the festival considered to be the best time to harvest them (shun, 旬). Unripe melons are often made into various kinds oftsukemono(pickles).
The plant was first classified as "Cucumis meloL.var.makuwa" in 1928 by Japanese botanistTomitaro Makino.However, it is now usually treated as acultivar group,Cucumis meloMakuwa Group. Makino's proposed name remains recognised as asynonym.
The oriental melon is a cool sub-temperate crop, growing best with day temperatures between 24 and 28 °C (75 and 82 °F) and night temperatures between 16 and 24 °C (61 and 75 °F).It requires good sunlight and rich, well-drained, friable, and moisture-retaining soil.It is drought tolerant, but requires sufficient water for optimal growth.
The plant, acucurbit, is anannualherbaceous plantthat branches and trails.The stem is angular and hirsute (hairy) and7 millimetres (1⁄5in) in diameter.The leaves arereniform(kidney-shaped) with 5-7 lobes.It isandromonoecious(both bisexual and male flowers on same plant) with yellow flowers.
There are many varieties of oriental melon.
The most well-known variety is calledginsen makuwa(銀泉まくわ)in Japanese andeuncheon-chamoe(은천참외) in Korean.Euncheonis the Korean reading of theChinese charactersused in the Japanese name. This type of melon was developed inToyama, Japan, where it is now recognised as a "traditional vegetable".It was introduced into Korea in 1957, rapidly became the dominant commercial variety there, and its descendants remain so today.Varieties developed from theeuncheoninclude:sin-euncheon('new euncheon'), developed in the 1970s, andgeumssaragi-euncheon(금싸라기은천, 'gold dust euncheon'), developed in 1984, which is now dominant.It is yellow in colour, typically about 6 inches (15 cm) long, and weighs about 1 pound (450 g).It is smooth and oblong, with white stripes that run the length of the fruit. It has white flesh that is juicy and sweet, and is filled with small white seeds.
Other cultivars are coloured green and ivory, and vary from spherical to oblong in shape.
There are two majorlandracesofchamoein Korea:sunghwan-chamoe(성환참외), also known asgaeguri-chamoe(개구리참외, 'frogchamoe'), andGotgam-chamoe(곶감참외).Thesunghwan-chamoeis sometimes classified under another cultivar group,Cucumis meloChinensis Group.Thegotgam-chamoeis particularly unique, having the aroma of adried persimmon(calledgotgamin Korean), from which it takes its name.These two landraces contain more nutrients and have greaterdisease resistancethan other varieties.
A variety called theGolden Makuwa(黄金まくわ)is recognised by the government ofNara Prefectureas a "Yamato vegetable"(大和野菜), a distinction indicating its importance in that region's agricultural and culinary tradition.It has golden skin, white flesh, and usually weighs about 300 grams (11 oz).In 1955, Golden Makuwa comprised 85.6% of all melons (western and oriental) sold at theOsakaCentral Wholesale Market.
Another variety, theNew Melon(ニューメロン), is spherical, has a greenish-yellow skin, green flesh, and usually weighs about 300–400 grams (11–14 oz).In 1962, the Sakata Seed Company crossbred this with theCharentais melon, a type of European cantaloupe, to produce thePrince Melon(プリンスメロン), which quickly became the dominant commercial melon variety in Japan.Princemelons weigh between 500 and 600 grams (18 and 21 oz), have a greyish-white skin, and orange flesh.The development of sweeter and easier to produce varieties of hybrid melon, most notably thePrince, led to a rapid decline in cultivation of oriental melons in Japan.
South Korea National Treasurenumbers 94 and 114 are both formed in the shape of an oriental melon.
The annual Yeoju Geumsa Oriental Melon Festival (Korean:여주 금사참외축제) is held once a year, and visitors can sample the melons there.
There is an Oriental Melon Ecology Centre inSeongju County, designed to educate the public regarding the cultivation and other aspects of the fruit.
Included ina collection of drawingsof Japaneseyōkaiby 17th century artistYosa Busonis a depiction of an "oriental melon monster"(真桑瓜のばけもの,makuwauri no bakemono).
A sign that promotes 'the birthplace of the oriental melon' was erected atKitagata-Makuwa Stationin the city ofMotosu, Japan, the site of the former village of Makuwa.