Olivier Poels 5:40 p.m., August 24, 2021
This summer fruit is native to Africa.
Like many, it grew in the wild.
For a long time, he had a debate about his exact place of origin: South Africa or the Nile valley.
Today, thanks to genetic research, we know that watermelon is the distant cousin of the kordofan melon, which originated in Sudan.
The first traces of domestication of watermelon were found in Egypt. Archaeologists have found remains of leaves dating back 3,500 years in a tomb in the 19th century. Their analysis much later established that the variety consumed at the time was close to the one we know and different from the wild watermelon which is smaller, bitter and has white flesh.
Trade routes over the centuries then contributed to its wide dissemination. They are found almost everywhere in the world. Its arrival in Europe is done in the 8th century via Spain and thanks to the Moors. It will also be widely used by sailors who found in it a very precious water reserve (92% water). These are the conquistadors who will bring it to the United States where it will be a symbol of freedom for blacks after the abolition of slavery.
In recent years, there have been seedless watermelons on the shelves. They are obtained by crossing: they are not GMOs, but they are sterile plans.
The recipe for the salad of watermelon, feta and roasted seeds:
- 1 nice piece of watermelon (with seeds)
- 200 feta
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- A few mint leaves
- salt / pepper
1. Cut the watermelon into cubes and collect the seeds, rinse and dry them.
2. Dry roast the seeds in a frying pan
3. Cut the feta into cubes
4. Mix everything, chop the mint leaves, sprinkle with olive oil, a dash of lemon juice, salt and pepper