Hami melon

Hami melon
Hami melon
Traditional Chinese	哈密瓜
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Hāmì guā
Bopomofo	ㄏㄚㄇㄧˋ ㄍㄨㄚ
Wade–Giles	Ha1-mi4 kua1

Hami melon
Hami melon
Genus	Cucumis
Species	C. melo
Cultivar group	Reticulatus Group
Cultivar	'Hami'

The Hami melon is a type of muskmelon, originally from Hami, Xinjiang, China. It is also referred to as the Chinese Hami melon or the snow melon. The outer color is generally white through pink or yellow through green. The inside flesh is sweet and crisp.

A cut Hami melon

In Mandarin, Hami gua can also be used to refer to cantaloupe.

Cultivation

The origin of the Hami melon can be traced back to the Han dynasty in China. From 58 to 76 AD, Hami melons were given to Emperor Ming of Han by officials as a rare tribute from the Western Regions and called kùhóng (Chinese: 库洪).[1]

Xinjiang's unique geographical environment (high altitude, large temperature difference between day and night, and sufficient sunshine) has created different varieties of Hami melon, such as the Yellow Honey Hami Melon and the Red Honey Hami Melon.[2] More than 100 cultivated forms and hybrids of the 'Hami' melon have been grown in China.[3]

The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has different protected areas for the cultivation of Hami melon, among which Yiwu County, Hami, has an area the length of 150 kilometers. The storage method of Hami melon at low temperatures is also unique. Among them, Gold Queen Hami Melons can be stored at 3°C for 18 days and still maintain the original taste.[4]

Harvesting hami melon at Hami in 1965

References

Xu, Xiaobin; 徐小斌. (2001). Xi yu shen hua (Di 1 ban ed.). Kunming Shi: Yunnan ren min chu ban she. ISBN 7-222-03261-4. OCLC 49274563.
"哈密瓜--新疆美食--新疆地情网". www.xjtonglan.com. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
Lim, T. K. (2012). "Cucumis melo L. (Reticulatus Group) 'Hami melon'". Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants. Springer Netherlands. pp. 231–234. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-1764-0_36. ISBN 978-94-007-1763-3.
Ning, Ming; Tang, Fengxian; Zhang, Qin; Zhao, Xinxin; Yang, Liping; Cai, Wenchao; Shan, Chunhui (2019). "The quality of Gold Queen Hami melons stored under different temperatures". Scientia Horticulturae. 243: 140–147. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2018.08.005. S2CID 91318912.

Anderson, Eugene N. (1990). The Food of China. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 80, 162, 209. ISBN 978-0300047394.
"Foodista: Hami Melon". Retrieved 13 August 2013.
China Culture
"Melons: Cantaloupe, Muskmelon, Honeydew, Crenshaw, Casaba, etc". Retrieved 19 August 2013.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Xu, Xiaobin; 徐小斌. (2001). Xi yu shen hua (Di 1 ban ed.). Kunming Shi: Yunnan ren min chu ban she. ISBN 7-222-03261-4. OCLC 49274563.

[2] "哈密瓜--新疆美食--新疆地情网". www.xjtonglan.com. Retrieved 2022-12-02.

[3] Lim, T. K. (2012). "Cucumis melo L. (Reticulatus Group) 'Hami melon'". Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants. Springer Netherlands. pp. 231–234. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-1764-0_36. ISBN 978-94-007-1763-3.

[4] Ning, Ming; Tang, Fengxian; Zhang, Qin; Zhao, Xinxin; Yang, Liping; Cai, Wenchao; Shan, Chunhui (2019). "The quality of Gold Queen Hami melons stored under different temperatures". Scientia Horticulturae. 243: 140–147. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2018.08.005. S2CID 91318912.