The melon belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, the same as pumpkin, watermelon and cucumber. There are different varieties of melon ( Cucumis melo ), some with yellow / orange flesh, others with white / light yellow flesh.
There are summer variants and winter variants . In reality, even the winter melon is harvested in the summer, but can be kept until December, so much so that we often find it among the ingredients of the Christmas table.
What are the most common types of melon?
> Cantaloupe melon ( Cucumis melo, var. Cantalupensis ): summer melon with yellow-orange flesh .
> Netted melon ( Cucumis melo, var. Reticulatus ): this is also a summer melon. There are several variants of netted melon and the flesh varies from light yellow to orange .
> Winter melon ( Cucumis melo var. Inodorus ): these are the so-called white-fleshed melons .
How to preserve the melon
The ideal ways to preserve the melon depend on the degree of ripeness at the time of purchase:
> Summer melons can be stored outside the refrigerator only if they are not very ripe at the time of purchase, otherwise they should be kept in the fridge, at a maximum temperature of 5 degrees, and consumed within a few days.
> The winter melon, on the other hand, can be purchased in September and can also be kept until December, the important thing is to follow a few simple rules: choose late melons that, at the time of purchase, have not yet reached full maturity and place them in a cool, dry and ventilated environment.
The winter melon should be kept hanging, or placed in a perforated wooden box, on a layer of straw . There are those who keep it even in the refrigerator; it could be an alternative, but it must be placed in the fruit drawer without, however, making it come into contact with the relative walls, to prevent it from deteriorating at the point of support.
Also read the ancient and forgotten melons >>
Why put the yellow melon and white melon in the diet
Let's see the many reasons why it is important to include the white and yellow melon in the diet:
> The melon is low in calories ; it is very rich in water and is therefore thirst-quenching, moisturizing and diuretic.
> Given a limited caloric intake, it has a high satiety index, thanks also to the richness of fiber.
> It is quite nutritious: it is rich in sugars (sucrose, fructose and glucose), mineral salts (mainly potassium, phosphorus, sodium and calcium) and vitamins (especially vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamins of group B).
> It stimulates intestinal motility and helps to protect the epithelium of the intestine.
Ideas to put white melon and yellow melon in the diet
Let's try our melons, like this:
> With ham, also vegetable : ham and melon is one of the fastest and most typical dishes of our culinary tradition; excellent especially in summer, also because the ham goes well with the yellow pulp melon .
In addition to the classic dish of ham and melon , this combination can be used in a more original way, for example: skewers made of melon cubes alternated with diced ham, or cold pasta with ham and melon, always diced.
> In mixed fruit salads but also in salads. Its flavor, in fact, lends itself well to many savory combinations, for example, melon salad, prawns and celery; salad with melon, figs and diced bresaola; melon, feta and cucumber; melon, rocket and primosale.
The white melon goes well with mortadella, so, for example, you can make a salad with white melon, diced mortadella and pistachios.
> In smoothies and smoothies.
> To prepare popsicles, ice creams and natural sorbets.
> To create original and original savory recipes ; for example you can prepare fish rolls (swordfish or octopus carpaccio, or even smoked salmon) with the melon cut into strips inside, or make a rice salad with melon, shrimp and cucumber; the fish and all the crustaceans go well with the melon.
