On August 3, different countries celebrate the delicious holiday – Watermelon Day.
It traces its history back to the United States, where it is celebrated as National Watermelon Day. America ranks first in the number of watermelons eaten compared to other countries. Here, this sweet and tasty fruit (which used to be considered a berry and is now — pumpkin) is as necessary an attribute of summer picnics as the famous hot dog.
By perfectly quenching thirst and being not at all high in calories, watermelon, of course, deserved its own holiday. Although it is not known who installed it and when, it does not lose its popularity, gaining more and more supporters every year. Therefore, today we can say with confidence that the holiday has become international.
By the way, watermelons are very popular in the USA, especially, as research shows, – among the Latin American part of the country’s population. And how can you not love him: huge, sweet, refreshing, he turns any meal into a real holiday.
According to dictionaries, common watermelon (lat. Citrullus lanatus – is a melon crop, an annual herbaceous plant, a species of the genus Watermelon (Citrullus) of the Pumpkin family (Cucurbitaceae). The color of watermelon bark varies: from white and yellow colors to dark green with a pattern in the form of a mesh, stripes, and spots. And the pulp – is pink, red, crimson, less often – is white and yellow. By structure, watermelon is considered a multi-seeded juicy pumpkin, and is currently grown in more than 1,200 varieties in 96 countries.
The color of watermelon bark and its pulp come in different colors (Photo: AntonMatyukha, licensed by depositphotos.com)
According to historians, the homeland of watermelon is South Africa. It is known that already in Ancient Egypt people knew and cultivated this plant, which is confirmed by excavations. Thus, during the Middle Kingdom in the 20th century BC, watermelons were often placed in the tombs of the pharaohs as a source of food in their afterlife (for example, seeds were also discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun).
In addition, watermelon was depicted on the walls of tombs and was mentioned in ancient Egyptian myths and in many medical recipes of ancient papyri. It was also known in Ancient Rome, where it was eaten fresh or salted, and honey was also boiled from it.
By the 10th century, watermelon became known to the Chinese as well. He came to ancient China on merchant ships sailing the Mediterranean Sea, and immediately became very revered (by the way, China still celebrates its Watermelon Day). In addition, the Chinese attached great medicinal importance to watermelon, attributing to it the property of «... to cleanse the body and carry diseases out of the body, if taken constantly before eating». And today, more watermelons are grown in China than in any other country.
In Russia and Europe, watermelons first appeared around the 11th-12th centuries (according to other sources, – in the 13th-14th centuries), and they were brought to America in the 16th century by European colonists, along with African slaves.
It's no secret that watermelons – are not only a tasty, but also a very healthy delicacy (Photo: studioM, licensed by depositphotos.com)
Today, watermelons are grown in almost all countries of the world, and most – in China, followed by Turkey, Iran, Egypt, American countries, as well as Russia and Uzbekistan with a noticeable lag.
But Japan has no equal in the number of the strangest varieties of watermelons –; they produced square watermelons, watermelons in the form of a pyramid, watermelons with yellow pulp and crumb watermelons with a diameter of 10 cm. Watermelons are well cultivated in steppe and Mediterranean climates with long hot dry summers and mild, short winters.
It's no secret that watermelons – are not only a tasty, but also a very healthy delicacy. It contains more than 90% water and only about 6% sugar of the total mass. Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin A, contains a complex of B vitamins, vitamin C and folic acid. Watermelon – is one of the leaders in terms of lycopene content – is a very strong antioxidant. All this not only helps strengthen the immune system, but also helps the body maintain normal function of the nervous system and the formation of red blood cells. In addition, salts of iron, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium contained in the pulp of watermelon have a beneficial effect on the activity of the hematopoietic, digestive, cardiovascular systems, and internal secretion glands.
Watermelon is used in therapeutic nutrition for anemia, diseases of the cardiovascular system, diseases of the liver and urinary tract, it has a diuretic and choleretic effect, prevents the formation of gallstones, promotes the removal of cholesterol from the body, and also helps control heart rate and regulates blood pressure. Watermelon juice quenches thirst well in a feverish state. And, of course, watermelons can be used not only as a source of vitamins and microelements, but also as a tool for raising your mood.
In addition, watermelon can be used to prepare a large number of different dishes. Generally, they are simply eaten fresh, but they can also be used in desserts (such as fruit salads) and drinks, grilled or boiled. For example, in some regions, watermelon is made into nardec («watermelon honey») by evaporating watermelon juice until the honey is thick. By the way, watermelon crusts do not disappear – it turns out that jam is made from them or marinated. Thus, the recipe for pickled watermelon rinds was published in a cookbook published in America in 1796.
Celebrating Watermelon Day! (Photo: Yaruta, licensed by depositphotos.com)
How is Watermelon Day celebrated? Of course, they have picnics in nature, where they eat a huge number of watermelons, and then organize a – competition to see who spits the watermelon seed the furthest, or a competition for the best figure cut out of watermelon.
If you also love this summer fruit, join the celebration of Watermelon Day – eat it with friends in nature, or at home, delighting your children, organize a competition for the best watermelon dish, prepare a refreshing watermelon lemonade... The main thing – is to enjoy this tasty and healthy delicacy!
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