Oriental melon
Type of melon, grown and eaten in East Asia.
The oriental melon (Cucumis melo Makuwa Group) is a group of Cucumis melo cultivars that are produced in East Asia. Phylogenetic studies tracing the genetic lineage of the plant suggest that it may have originated in eastern India, having then spread to China over the Silk Road, from which it was introduced to Korea and Japan. Its flavour has been described as a cross between a honeydew melon and a cucumber. It is noticeably less sweet than Western varieties of melon, and consists of about 90% water. The fruits are commonly eaten fresh; with its thin rind and small seeds, the melon can be eaten whole.
Background
In China, Oriental melon is locally called xiāng guā (香瓜, "fragrant melon"). It was called tián guā (甜瓜, "sweet melon"), gān guā (甘瓜, "sweet melon") or guǒ guā (果瓜, "fruit melon") in ancient times. However, the latter two names are seldom in use now, and tián guā (甜瓜) has become the name of the species Cucumis melo, thereby also referring to other types of melon such as cantaloupe and honeydew.
The Korean name chamoe (참외 [tɕʰɐmø]) is a composite of words: cham meaning "true" or "real" and oe meaning "cucumber (melon)". It is thought that the oriental melon was introduced to Korea through China during the Three Kingdoms period.
The public source identifies “Oriental melon” as type of melon, grown and eaten in East Asia. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Oriental, melon and Type.
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This entry incorporates text from “Oriental melon” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.