All About Summer Watermelons

Watermelons are your savior during summers. These delicious watermelons give you the ultimate respite from heat. A huge number of countries are involved in watermelon production today; 96 to be precise. This itself gives an idea about the popularity if this fruit. Watermelons are extremely popular in USA, Japan, Turkey, China, Russia and other Mediterranean countries. China is the biggest producer of watermelons. All the countries differ in their consumption pattern because this depends on each country's cultural background.

These fruits have an interesting history associated with them. The term watermelon was coined in 1615. Watermelon belongs to the family "Cucurbit" and thus biologically it's known as Citrullus lanatus. The watermelons were first harvested in Egypt, about 500 years ago. It also a funny history associated with it. It is believed that watermelon was thrown on the governor of Rome, Demosthenes at a political debate. He thanked the people for throwing watermelon at him because he used it as a helmet later on.

Watermelons are very good for health. They are high in nutritive value. Mainly composed of water (almost 92% of it is water), these delicious fruits are rich water soluble vitamins like vitamin B1, B6 and vitamin C. they are also rich in vitamin A, which will eventually benefit the eyes. They also have the essential minerals like magnesium and potassium in the right amount. Watermelon diets are becoming popular all over. This is due the fact that people are becoming more and more health conscious and thus they keep on looking for healthy diets; and watermelon diet is definitely one such diet. They are good for the body in several ways. They provide the essential vitamins and minerals to the body. In addition to that, they also help in keeping blood pressure and cholesterol levels low. A person on watermelon diet will obviously lose weight and he will also have less chances of getting stroke. Watermelons belong to the gourd family.

Pickling of watermelon was started by early Greek settlers. The biggest watermelon recorded in the Guinness Books was grown by Bill Carson from Tennessee. It weighed 262 pounds. Watermelons were used as canteens by some of the early explorers. In Egypt and Israel, this fruits is often eaten with feta cheese.

Watermelons are grown through out the world in huge quantities. USA alone produced around four billion pounds of this fruit in 1999. Watermelons have several varieties; as many as 1200 different varieties are grown across the world. Almost 300 different varieties are grown in Mexico and USA however only 50 are popular. In the board frame, there are 4 varieties of watermelons namely the Icebox type, Picnic type, the Yellow fresh and the seedless variety. Icebox type watermelons are ideally suited for refrigeration because of their small size. Picnic type is usually long. How will you come to know whether the watermelon is ideal for consumption or not? Just slap the watermelon hard and if you hear a hollow sound, then it is definitely good for eating.

Over the years, watermelons have made their place in China's culture and traditions. The same is true for Japan too. Watermelons are popular gift items in both these countries especially when going for a dinner; they are ideally given to the hosts. In USA, watermelon is usually associated with its Independence Day and apple pies. To the people of china, water melons are much more than just fruit. China is the world leader in watermelon consumption. The demand for watermelons will rise more and more in the coming years due to its health benefits!