On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 712

cutting;it’snowrecommendedthatmelonsbe
thoroughlywashedinhotsoapywaterbefore
preparingthem.
FoodWords:Melon
In Greek,melon meant “apple,” but also
other fruits containing seeds. The Greeks
called our melonmelopepon, or “applegourd,” and this became shortened to
melon.
Melon Families and Qualities The most
common Western melons fall into two
families:
Summermelonsarehighlyaromaticand
perishable,andusuallyhaveroughrinds.
Theyincludetruecantaloupesand
muskmelons.
Wintermelonsarelessaromaticandless
perishable,andusuallyhavesmoothor
wrinkledrinds.Theyincludehoneydews,
casabas,andcanaries.


The differences between the two melon
families are caused by differences in their
physiology.Thearomaticsummermelonsare
generally climacteric fruits that (with the
exception of cantaloupes) separate from their
stems when ripe; and they contain active
enzymesthatgeneratemorethan200different
esters from amino acid precursors, and thus
helpcreatetheircharacteristicallyricharoma.
The winter melons are generally

nonclimacteric fruit like their relatives the
cucumbers and squashes, and have low esterenzyme activities and therefore a milder
flavor.
Vine-ripeningisimportantforallmelons
becausetheydon’tstorestarchandsogetno
sweeterafterharvest.Aremnantofthestem
onanaromaticmelonindicatesthatitwas
harvestedbeforebecomingfullyripe,while
allwintermelons(andtruecantaloupes),even
ripeones,carryapieceofstem.Thearomaof
melonsmaycontinuetodevelopoffthevine,