Cantaloupe

The name cantaloupe was derived in the 18th century via French cantaloup from Italian Cantalupo, which was formerly a papal county seat near Rome, after the fruit was introduced there from Armenia.[3] It was first mentioned in English literature in 1739.[2] The cantaloupe most likely originated in a region from South Asia to Africa.[2] It was later introduced to Europe and, around 1890, became a commercial crop in the United States.[2]

Melon derived from use in Old French as meloun during the 13th century, and from Medieval Latin melonem, a kind of pumpkin.[4] It was among the first plants to be domesticated and cultivated.[4]

The South African English name spanspek is said to be derived from Afrikaans Spaanse spek ('Spanish bacon'); supposedly, Sir Harry Smith, a 19th-century governor of Cape Colony, ate bacon and eggs for breakfast, while his Spanish-born wife Juana María de los Dolores de León Smith preferred canteloupe, so South Africans nicknamed the eponymous fruit Spanish bacon.[5][6] However, the name appears to predate the Smiths and date to 18th-century Dutch Suriname: J. van Donselaar wrote in 1770, "Spaansch-spek is the name for the form that grows in Suriname which, because of its thick skin and little flesh, is less consumed."[7]

Macro photograph of the skin of a North American cantaloupe (muskmelon)

Cantaloupe, raw

Cantaloupe in cross-section
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	141 kJ (34 kcal)
Carbohydrates	8.16 g
Sugars	7.86 g
Dietary fiber	0.9 g
Fat	0.19 g
Protein	0.84 g
Vitamins	Quantity %DV†
Vitamin A equiv. beta-Carotene lutein zeaxanthin	21% 169 μg 19% 2020 μg 26 μg
Thiamine (B1)	4% 0.041 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	2% 0.019 mg
Niacin (B3)	5% 0.734 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	2% 0.105 mg
Vitamin B6	6% 0.072 mg
Folate (B9)	5% 21 μg
Choline	2% 7.6 mg
Vitamin C	44% 36.7 mg
Vitamin K	2% 2.5 μg
Minerals	Quantity %DV†
Calcium	1% 9 mg
Iron	2% 0.21 mg
Magnesium	3% 12 mg
Manganese	2% 0.041 mg
Phosphorus	2% 15 mg
Potassium	6% 267 mg
Sodium	1% 16 mg
Zinc	2% 0.18 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	90.2 g
Full Link to USDA Database entry
Units μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams IU = International units
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

The European cantaloupe, C. melo var. cantalupensis, is lightly ribbed with a sweet and flavorful flesh and a gray-green skin that looks quite different from that of the North American cantaloupe.[2]

The North American cantaloupe, C. melo var. reticulatus, common in the United States, Mexico, and some parts of Canada, is a different variety of C. melo, a muskmelon with a reticulated ("net-like") peel.[2] It is a round melon with firm, orange, moderately sweet flesh.

In 2016, global production of melons, including cantaloupes, totaled 31.2 million tons, with China accounting for 51% of the world total (15.9 million tons).[8] Other significant countries growing cantaloupe were Turkey, Iran, Egypt, and India producing 1 to 1.9 million tons, respectively.[8]

Cantaloupe is normally eaten as a fresh fruit, as a salad, or as a dessert with ice cream or custard. Melon pieces wrapped in prosciutto are a familiar antipasto. The seeds are edible and may be dried for use as a snack.

Because the surface of a cantaloupe can contain harmful bacteria—in particular, Salmonella[9]—it is recommended that a melon be washed and scrubbed thoroughly before cutting and consumption. The fruit should be refrigerated after cutting it and consumed in less than three days to prevent risk of Salmonella or other bacterial pathogens.[10]

A moldy cantaloupe in a Peoria, Illinois, market in 1943 was found to contain the highest yielding strain of mold for penicillin production, after a worldwide search.[11][12]

• Melon

• Media related to Cucumis melo cantaloupe group at Wikimedia Commons
• Sorting Cucumis names– Multilingual multiscript plant name database