See also: Article on Melons; individual melon entries

MELON TRIVIA and FACTS

U.S. Melon per capita usage:

 

1970

1980

1990

2000

2011

Total

21.6 lbs

18 lbs

24.8 lbs

27.8 lbs

25.5 lbs

Watermelon

13.5 lbs

10.7 lbs

13.3 lbs

13.8 lbs

14.8 lbs

Cantalope

7.2 lbs

5.9 lbs

9.2 lbs

11.1 lbs

8.7 lbs

Honeydew

1.4 lbs

2 lbs

2.1 lbs

2.3 lbs

1.5 lbs

Other

n/a

0.1 lbs

0.2 lbs

0.6 lbs

0.5 lbs

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service


Most people don’t know that melons are in the same gourd family as squashes and cucumbers. Most melons have similar structure to winter squash with thick flesh and inner seed-filled midsection.
     So what’s the difference between melons and squashes? It’s the way that they’re used. Squashes are considered vegetables, while melons are known as fruits with sweet and juicy flavor.
CDC.gov - 5 a Day

One of the earliest records of melons is in an Egyptian tomb painting from 2400 B.C.

Christopher Columbus probably took the first melon seeds to the New World in 1494 (Haiti).

Many melons originated in the Middle East and gradually spread its popularity across Europe. Ancient Egyptians and Romans enjoyed cantaloupes or muskmelons. Melon seeds were transported to the United States by Columbus and eventually cultivated by Spanish explorers in California.
CDC.gov - 5 a Day

There are 108 people in the U.S. listed on whitepages.com with the last name 'Melon'
(Mark Morton, 'Gastronomica', Fall 2010)

The cantaloupe was supposedly named for Cantalou, a former Papal garden near Rome, where the variety was developed.

Alexandre Dumas loved melons so much, he offered to the city council of Cavaillon all of his published works and future publications in exchange for "a life annuity of twelve melons per year."
 

 

FoodReference.com Logo

You are here > Home > FOOD TRIVIA & FACTS

Next

Please feel free to link to any pages of FoodReference.com from your website.
For permission to use any of this content please E-mail: james@foodreference.com
All contents are copyright © 1990 - 2024 James T. Ehler and www.FoodReference.com unless otherwise noted.
All rights reserved.  You may copy and use portions of this website for non-commercial, personal use only.
Any other use of these materials without prior written authorization is not very nice and violates the copyright.
Please take the time to request permission.

 

 

FOOD TRIVIA and FOOD FACTS

Also see: Food Articles and Cooking Tips

 

Popular Pages

Food History Articles

Pleasures of the Table

World Cuisine

Recipe Index

 

 

Home   |   Articles   |   FOOD TRIVIA   |   Today in Food History   |   Food Timeline   |   Recipes   |   Cooking_Tips   |   Food_Videos   |   Food Quotes   |   Who’s Who   |   Culinary Schools & Tours   |   Food_Trivia_Quizzes   |   Food Poems   |   Free_Magazines   |   Food Festivals & Events

Philodendron Leaf

FoodReference.com (since 1999)

FOOD TRIVIA and FOOD FACTS SECTION