According to historical data, watermelons appeared on the territory of present-day Russia in the 12th century AD; they were brought by traders from Persia. They gained great popularity during the time of Peter I. Today, when it comes to watermelons, we are talking about the Astrakhan variety, which are much juicier and sweeter than other varieties of watermelons. There are 1,200 types of watermelons in the world, each of which has its own unique properties. For example, on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, watermelons are grown without stripes on the skin and with a small number of seeds inside. Japanese watermelons cost about $250 apiece, which at the current exchange rate is approximately 20 thousand rubles. It goes without saying that few people can afford such sweetness.
Astrakhan watermelons are the most common in Russia. Source: funnyart.club
Contents
- 1 How many varieties of watermelons are there
- 2 Densuke – the most expensive watermelons in the world
- 3 The largest watermelons in the world< /li>
- 4 The smallest watermelons in the world
- 5 The most popular watermelons in Russia
- 6 Watermelons without seeds
- 7 Watermelon with the most unusual taste< /li>
- 8 The most unpretentious variety of watermelons
How many varieties of watermelons are there
Watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) are a family of flowering plants in the Cucurbitaceae family with large, juicy fruits. In total, there are 1,200 varieties of watermelons in the world, among which there are very interesting species. The authors of the information and entertainment portal Pictolic spoke about seven of them.
Densuke – the most expensive watermelons in the world
A variety of watermelon grown on the Japanese island of Hokkaido is called densuke. The fruits of this species have a unique appearance: the peel is black and has no stripes. But inside, densuke watermelons are almost the same as all others – except that they have fewer seeds.
This is what a densuke watermelon looks like. Source: in-w.ru
The yield of densuke watermelons is about 10 thousand fruits per year. This is very little, which is why they are expensive. The price of 250 dollars is the minimum – in 2014 a fruit worth 3.5 thousand dollars was sold.
Densuke watermelons are sold in beautiful boxes: foodsuppliers.ru
The taste of densuke is described as juicy and sweet, with fruity notes that develop on the tongue. Of course, for such a price they should be ten times tastier than the Astrakhan variety.
The largest watermelons in the world
The largest watermelons on Earth are grown by American Lloyd Bright. He's been doing this since 1979, and he clearly has some secret that he still hasn't revealed. In 2005, he managed to grow a Carolina Cross watermelon, which weighed about 122 kilograms.
One of Lloyd Bright's watermelons. Source: autogear.ru
There are record holders among watermelons in Russia. One day, a certain Igor Lisenko from Krasnodar grew a watermelon weighing 61.4 kilograms. But he had no secret – the farmer planted a watermelon next to powerful pumpkin roots, which allowed the fruits to get maximum nutrients from the ground.
Article on the topic: How Russian scientists grew watermelons in Antarctica
The smallest watermelons in the world
If there are giant watermelons in the world, then there are also tiny ones. For example, the fruits of the Pepquinos variety are several centimeters in diameter and look like gooseberries. One would think that no one needs them, but no – restaurants buy them to make expensive desserts. But in Russia they are not popular, and the reason for this is not only their small size, but also their inexpressive taste, like a cucumber.
The smallest watermelons in the world are Pepquinos varieties. Source: bestlj.ru
The most popular watermelons in Russia
Most watermelons on Russian markets are of the Astrakhan variety. They are so popular and beloved in the country that Astrakhan watermelon can be called not a variety, but a full-fledged brand.
Everyone’s favorite Astrakhan watermelons. Source: yugopolis.ru
They are valued not only for their juiciness and sweet taste. In addition to all this, they are resistant to disease, easily tolerate transportation and retain their taste even in not the best conditions. Due to all this, farmers receive huge harvests, thanks to which they can achieve low prices.
Watermelons without seeds
Many types of watermelons have a lot of seeds, spitting them out while eating for many people is a real ritual. But many of us don't like them, and this is a reason to shell out for watermelons without seeds. They appeared in Russia relatively recently and quickly gained great popularity.
Watermelon without seeds of the Imbar variety. Source: semenaorg.ru
Watermelons without seeds were first grown by Japanese farmers in the second half of the 20th century. After them, the technology of their cultivation was mastered by farm owners from the USA, Bulgaria, Holland and a number of other countries. Seedless watermelons are grown by crossing different varieties and require special environmental conditions. For example, they grow exclusively in warm conditions and also require increased protection from pests and diseases.
Regus seedless watermelon. Source: stroitel76.ru
There are a lot of varieties of seedless watermelons. For example, these include imbar, king of hearts and regus.
Everyone should know about this:How an ordinary watermelon can bring a person to a hospital bed
Watermelon with the most unusual taste
The taste of watermelons in general is always the same, the difference is noticeable only in sweetness and juiciness. But the Vector variety, which was bred by Astrakhan farmer Artem Sokolov, has a unique nutmeg taste.
The Vector watermelon variety is outwardly unremarkable, but its taste will be new to many. Source: pictolic.com
He achieved this taste by increasing the amount of monosaccharides, which play a huge role in the functioning of the cells of the human body.
The most unpretentious variety of watermelons
Usually, for watermelons to grow tasty and juicy, they need warm and sunny conditions days. Ideally, the air temperature was kept between 10 and 30 degrees Celsius.
For some farmers, it is especially important that watermelons grow in any conditions.
But watermelons are of the sugar crumb variety, which first appeared in Thailand. They, like representatives of many other varieties, are very juicy and tasty. But the main feature is that they can be grown in greenhouses with customizable environmental characteristics.
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Finally, we strongly recommend that you read our article “Watermelon or melon: which is healthier in summer.” Very relevant information for the summer!