The vitamin-rich and refreshing watermelon, fresh or pickled, is now part of the menu in most countries around the world. For some people in this country it is hard to imagine that this fruit has an exotic origin.
Where does watermelon originally come from?
The watermelon has its origins in Africa, where the wild form of the Tsamma melon grows. It reached North, Central and South America, the Orient and Asia via seafarers and trade routes. Today's main growing areas are Spain, Italy, Hungary, Turkey, China, USA, Iran and Brazil.
The descent of watermelon from the Tsamma melon
The watermelon has its botanical origins in Africa, where the wild form of the Tsamma melon still grows and is used today. However, unlike the fruit we know as sweet-tasting, it does not have a sweet pulp. Rather, the flesh of the Tsamma melon tastes rather bitter, but the seeds, which are abundant in the wild form, are roasted in oil or ground into flour and used for baking bread.
The triumph of watermelon around the world
The foundation for the current distribution of watermelon was laid a few centuries ago. At that time, sailors used the fruits and their seeds, which lasted for a few weeks, as food on longer passages. This is how the watermelon came to North, Central and South America. Watermelon cultivation also reached the Orient and Asia via early cultivation areas in Persia and ancient Egypt.
Today's watermelon growing areas
The main watermelon season in Central Europe runs from May to September. During this time, watermelons are harvested in the European growing areas and can be imported comparatively cheaply from the following countries due to the relatively short transport routes:
- Spain
- Italy
- Hungary
- Türkiye
While the larger Crimson Sweet variety is usually only imported from European growing areas due to its high weight of 7 to 15 kilograms, the smaller Sugar Baby variety is now usually available all year round. She usually comes from one of the following countries:
- China
- USA
- Iran
- Brazil
If you plant the seeds early, you can also plant watermelons in your own garden. The fruits ripen in a sunny location or in a greenhouse in late summer or autumn.
Tips & Tricks
You can tell when the time is right for harvesting watermelons when a yellow discoloration appears where the fruit rests on the ground.
