In Spain, watermelons were introduced to our land during the Muslim domination, becoming the fruit of the summer, which since then cannot be missing from the Spanish table to refresh and sweeten the palate on the hottest days of the year. It is the perfect fruit to combat the heat and dehydration due to its large amount of water, which helps to combat the high temperatures.
But from which country does the watermelon come from?
There are three different hypotheses about the origin of this fruit, and at Sandía Fashion we want you to know them:
– Watermelon was first cultivated in Africa, from where it spread to Europe, the Middle East and India from wild populations in Africa.
– The second hypothesis speaks of the origin of this fruit as a cucurbit species native to the Nile Valley, where it grew wild.
– The last one tells us that the origin and history of the summer fruit combines the previous ones. This hypothesis was formulated by the explorer David Livingston, who, during his first trip to the north of South Africa, located the birth of the watermelon in the Kalahari Desert, in southern Africa, where it grew wild.
Leaving behind the different ideas formulated over the years, it is worth mentioning that there is another land where the watermelon is said to have originated, and that is the Kalahari Desert. Its earliest evidence of cultivation is found in Egypt, where the fruit was used to decorate tombs.
Watermelon expansion…
Watermelon began to be cultivated in Africa, later it spread to all continents as it was part of the exchange of goods. It is worth noting that the watermelon spread throughout the African continent at the time of colonisation and that it was the colonisers who transported the fruits and seeds, thus favouring the expansion of the richest fruit of the summer.
Did you know that…?
Watermelon was introduced to Asia in the 10th century, the last continent to try it.
Which of these assumptions do you think is true? One thing is clear to us: watermelon has always been tasty, but fashionable only since we came to the market!
