Melon: A Global History

Synopsis

Sweet, Succulent, Cooling, And Often With A Beguiling Floral Fragrance, A Ripe Melon Can Be One Of The Most Delicious Things You Sink Your Teeth Into. As Sylvia Lovegren Shows In This Book, The Melon’s Complex Flavor Profile Is Matched By An Equally Complex History. Cutting Into The Melon’s Past, She Takes Us On A Whirlwind Trip Around The World. Along The Way, Lovegren Details The Impact The Melon Has Had On Humankind. Moving From Ancient And Medieval Medical Recipes To Folk Tales, Stories, Growing Contests, And Genetics, She Explores The Diverse Ways We Have Cultivated, Enjoyed, And Sometimes Even Feared This Fruit. She Explores How We Have Improved Modern Melons Over Centuries Of Breeding, And How Some Growers And Scientists Today Are Trying To Preserve And Even Revive Ancient Melon Strains.--from Publisher's Description. Introduction -- Getting To Know Melons -- Melons In Prehistory And The Ancient World -- The Melon In The Classical Period -- Melons In Late Antiquity And The Medieval Period -- Melons On The Silk Road -- The Melon In The Renaissance And Into The Modern Era -- Melons In The New World -- The Deadly Melon -- Folk Tales And Humorous Stories -- Festivals, Contests And Folk Art -- Modern And Future Melons -- Appendix I. Picking The Perfect Melon In The Garden And The Market -- Appendix Ii. Ode To The Watermelon. Sylvia Lovegren. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 142-144) And Index.