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A Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo, or Cucumis melo reticulatus), also spelled cantaloup, also called muskmelon and rockmelon, is a variety of round melon with firm, orange, moderately-sweet flesh and a reticulated beige to light-brown rind. Varieties with redder and yellower flesh exist, but are uncommon, and are not considered to be as flavorful as the more common orange variety. Cantaloupes belong to family Cucurbitaceae, which includes nearly all melons and squashes. Cantaloupes may range in size from 7-12 cm in diameter, but typically exceed 12 cm in diameter. Specimens larger than 20 cm and weighing several pounds have been recorded. Like all melons, cantaloupes grown best in sandy, well-aereated, well-watered soil that is free of encroaching weeds.
For commercial plantings, one hive per acre is the minimum recommendation by the United States Department of Agriculture for pollination. Good pollination is important, not only for the number of fruits produced, but also for the sugar content of these fruits.
Origin
Cantaloupe was named after Cantalupo, near Tivoli, Italy, the summer residence of the Pope, where it was originally cultivated around 1700 from seeds brought from Armenia. The cantaloupe found in North America is actually a variety of the muskmelon that Columbus is said to have brought to the New World on his second voyage in 1494.
The most widely cultivated variety is the Charentais, almost exclusive to France. Its lightly ribbed, pale green skin looks quite different from the North American variety. Pope Innocent XIII, who reigned from 1721 to 1724, is said to have enjoyed sipping a kind of port wine from the cavity of a half-melon at the beginning of a meal as an apéritif.
Melon pieces wrapped in prosciutto make a familiar modern antipasto.
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