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All about Melon

Melon has all the right to rival honey

It's beyond dispute that watermelon is sweet and savory. But it can't be compared with "honey", whereas melon has all the right to rival honey. As soon as you leave a cut melon, gourmand wasps immediately come flying to feast on the mouth-watering pulp. They suck sweet juice so greedily that one cannot drive them away; in response they would just flutter lazily their pellucid wings.

To know the level of ripeness of melon no special means are required. A ripe melon should give off a sweet smell. Besides, a ripe melon should be a bit weighty and, being gently knocked at, it should "clunk".

At all times Uzbekistan was famous for its melons, the best in the world. Farmers of Khorezm, Bukhara, Samarkand, Shakhrisabz, Tashkent and Ferghana oases were well known among the Silk Road travelers for their agricultural skills. Over centuries the local farmers have created a variety of melons. Different sorts vary in precocity, size, form and coloration, and, of course, their flavour - from pineapple to vanilla.

Melons on a bazaar

The climate of Uzbekistan with its long hot summers fits well to such a heat-loving plant as melon. Well-developed root system of this plant perfectly accommodates itself on irrigated lands. Even saline soil of Khorezm and Bukhara regions, does not prevent melons from growing well and having rather sweet taste.

Melon cultivation requires much labour of a farmer. After planting the seeds it usually takes three-to-four months for the melon to mature. Experienced melon growers know well when and how often to water, to spud, to add fertilizer to the plant.

Central Asia is considered to be the homeland of melon, which has been planted here for more than two thousand years. From ancient Chinese chronicles it is known that at the beginning of our era some seeds of melon were brought to China from the banks of the Oxus and the Yaksart (Syr Darya and Amu Darya) along the Great Silk Road.

Melon has been known in Europe since the Roman Empire. Images of melon can be found on frescos of the Vatican. In the Middle Ages melon began to be cultivated in Arabian countries where it was treated with a great respect and was believed to be a "paradise fruit" brought down to the Earth by an archangel. In the 16th century, first the French started to cultivate this plant and then this practice spread to other European countries. In England the farmers used to grow melon in greenhouses. In the 17th century the Russians adopted the experience: during the reign of the Russian czar Alexey Mikhailovich in Moscow there were built greenhouses dealing with cultivation of melon.

There are more than 160 sorts of melon There are more than 160 sorts of melon

In Uzbekistan today there are more than 160 sorts of melon; the origin of some sorts can be traced far back to antiquity. Specialists consider Khorezmian melons to be the best. Already in the 14th century the prominent Arabian traveler Ibn Battuta wrote, "No melons can be compared with the Khorezmian ones, except, maybe, for the melons from Bukhara and those from Isfagan. Their skin is green, and the pulp is red; they are very sweet, yet hard".

Each region of Uzbekistan is famous for its own sorts of melon. In early June almost everywhere in the city markets one can see fast-ripening sort Handalyak, a little later - Assate. Honey-like Ich-Kyzyl and Shakar-Palak sorts ripen in July. In August one can enjoy himself with Bekzod sort. In September the bazaars are filled with late-ripening winter sorts of melons which keep their taste qualities till April-May of the next year - the famous sorts Gulyabi, Kara-Kaun, Koy-Bash, Umirvaki, Kara-Gyz.

Straw netted bags

Throughout the winter, melons are preserved according to the old method: they are put into straw or thread netted bags hanging from the ceiling of a special warehouse named "kaun-khana" or are buried in dry sand.

Just to enumerate all the properties of melon will take much time. First of all, melon is appreciated for its remarkable taste and unique dietetic characteristics. The aromatic, soft melon is the best dessert.

Juicy, sweet-scented melon pulp contains digestible sugar, starch, proteins, vitamins, cellulose, pectin, organic acids, and various mineral salts. Melon contains a great number of iron and potassium salts and is used as medicinal nourishment for treatment of anemia, cardiovascular disorder, liver and kidney diseases, gout and rheumatism.

Melons are rich in siliceous salts. According to scientists, human's life, his health and his physiological processes are closely connected with silicon. Silicon has salutary effect upon hard tissues, skin and hair condition. It also enables the cerebral cortex to work better; it is essential for nerves, walls of intestines, digestive system and the whole internal system.

Melon contains a lot of vitamin C. Melon cellulose has a salutary effect on the your intestinal microflora; it makes cholesterol go out of your organism, and improves digestion.

Melon is the best remedy to rejuvenate your body. They say in the East that "melon makes your hair bright, eyes young, lips fresh, wishes and desires intense, abilities realizable; it helps men to be desired and women to be beautiful".

Dried melon is a delicatessen

As a rule melon is eaten uncooked, in its natural state. But one can also make jam, honey, jam, jellies from melon; it can be stewed and candied. Dried melon is a delicatessen for adults and a favourite dainty for children. It is worth to mention that Venetian merchant Marco Polo wrote about dried melon in his book "Description of the World", which is an account of his travels along the Great Silk Road: "They (pieces of melon) are preserved as follows: a melon is sliced, just as we do with pumpkin, then these slices are rolled and dried in the sun; and finally they are sent for sale to other countries, where they are in great demand for they are as sweet as honey". These thousand-year-old methods of preserving melon are popular to this very day, and sweet slices of dried melon easily melt in your mouth just as they did in the ancient time.

In Uzbekistan every festive meal cannot do without appetizing slices of melon. Anyone who once tried this aromatic sweet dainty will never forget its delicious taste.

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