Editing Cantaloupe

{{Short description|Variety of melon}}
{{redirect|Rockmelon|the band|Rockmelons|other uses|Cantaloupe (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox cultivar
| name = Cantaloupe
| image = Meloen vrucht met bloem.jpg
| image_caption = European cantaloupe (true cantaloupe)
| genus = ''[[Cucumis]]''
| species = ''[[Cucumis melo|C. melo]]''
| subspecies = ''C. melo'' subsp. ''melo''
| group = Cantalupensis Group<br><small>(incorporating Reticulatus Group<ref name="Pitrat 2017" />)</small>
}}
[[File:Cantaloupes.jpg|thumb|American Western cantaloupe (muskmelon)]]
{{Infobox nutritional value
| name = Cantaloupe, raw
| image = Canteloupe and cross section.jpg
| caption = American Eastern cantaloupe and its cross-section
| kJ = 141
| protein = 0.82 g
| fat = 0.18 g
| carbs = 8.16 g
| fiber = 0.9 g
| sugars = 7.86 g
| opt1n = Water
| opt1v = 90.2 g
| calcium_mg = 9
| iron_mg = 0.38
| magnesium_mg = 13
| phosphorus_mg = 17
| potassium_mg = 157
| sodium_mg = 30
| zinc_mg = 0.44
| manganese_mg = 0.046
| vitC_mg = 10.9
| thiamin_mg = 0.049
| riboflavin_mg = 0.027
| niacin_mg = 0.694
| pantothenic_mg = 0.085
| vitB6_mg = 0.04
| folate_ug = 14
| vitA_ug = 232
| betacarotene_ug = 2780
| lutein_ug = 32
| vitK_ug = 2.7
| source_usda = 1
| note = [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/746770/nutrients Full Link to USDA Database entry]
}}

The '''cantaloupe''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|æ|n|t|ə|l|oʊ|p}} {{respell|KAN|tə|lohp}}) is a type of [[true melon]] (''Cucumis melo'') with sweet, aromatic, and usually orange flesh. Originally, ''cantaloupe'' refers to the '''true cantaloupe''' or '''European cantaloupe''' with non- to slightly netted and often ribbed rind. Today, it also refers to the '''muskmelon''' with strongly netted rind,<ref name="Pitrat 2017">{{Cite book |last=Pitrat |first=Michel |title=Genetics and Genomics of Cucurbitaceae |date=2017 |publisher=Springer International Publishing |isbn=978-3-319-49332-9 |editor-last=Grumet |editor-first=Rebecca |series=Plant Genetics and Genomics: Crops and Models |volume=20 |location=Cham |pages=25–60 |language=en |chapter=Melon Genetic Resources: Phenotypic Diversity and Horticultural Taxonomy |doi=10.1007/7397_2016_10 |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1007/7397_2016_10}}</ref> which is called cantaloupe in North America (hence the name '''American cantaloupe'''), '''rockmelon''' in Australia and New Zealand, and '''spanspek''' in Southern Africa. Cantaloupes range in mass from {{convert|0.5|to|5|kg|lb|0}}.

==Etymology and origin==
The cantaloupe most likely originated in a region from South Asia to Africa.<ref name="ens" /> According to New Entry, a Tufts University organization, "Cantaloupes were cultivated in Egypt and migrated across to Iran and Northwest India dating as far back to Biblical times, about 2400 B.C.E."'''<ref>{{web cite |date=28 March 2025 |title=Cantaloupe |url=https://nesfp.nutrition.tufts.edu/world-peas-food-hub/world-peas-csa/produce-recipes/cantaloupe}}</ref>'''

The cantaloupe is said to have been introduced to Europe from [[Armenia]]. It acquired its modern European name due to its cultivation at the Papal country estate of [[Cantalupo in Sabina|Cantalupo]].<ref name="oed">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/cantaloupe |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728050058/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/cantaloupe |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 July 2012 |title=Cantaloupe |encyclopedia=[[Oxford English Dictionary]] |date=2016 |access-date=26 January 2016}}</ref>  It was first mentioned in English literature in 1739.<ref name="ens">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o3UD2iL4sAAC&q=origin+cantaloupe&pg=PA330 |title=Cantaloupe |encyclopedia=Foods & Nutrition Encyclopedia |edition=2nd |volume=1 |author-first1=Marion Eugene |author-last1=Ensminger |author-first2=Audrey H. |author-last2=Ensminger |year=1993 |pages=329–331 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=084938981X}}</ref> It later became a commercial crop in the United States c.1890 C.E.<ref name="ens" />

The [[South African English]] name {{lang|en-ZA|spanspek|italic=yes}} dates back at least as far as 18th-century [[Dutch Suriname]]: J. van Donselaar wrote in 1770, "{{lang|nl|Spaansch-spek}} is the name for the [[form (botany)|form]] that grows in Suriname which, because of its thick skin and little flesh, is less consumed."<ref>{{cite web |date=19 October 2018 |title=How spanspek got its South African name |url=https://fullstopcom.com/2018/10/how-spanspek-got-its-south-african-name/ |publisher=Full Stop Communications}}</ref> A common etymology involves the Spanish-born {{lang|es|[[Juana María de los Dolores de León Smith]]|italic=no}}, who ate canteloupe for breakfast while her husband and 19th-century governor of [[Cape Colony]], [[Sir Harry Smith, 1st Baronet|Sir Harry Smith]], ate bacon and eggs; the fruit was termed ''Spanish bacon'' ([[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]] ''{{lang|af|Spaanse spek}}'') by locals as a result.<ref name="foodloversmarket.co.za">{{cite web |url=https://foodloversmarket.co.za/how-did-spanspek-get-its-name/ |title=How did spanspek get its name? |work=Food Lover's Market |date=15 January 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gondwana-collection.com/blog/spanspek/ |title=How the cantaloupe melon received its name spanspek |first=Bernd |last=Grahl |date=18 December 2015 }}</ref> However, the term had been in use long before that point.{{Cn|date=April 2025}}

==Types==
The true or European cantaloupe (Cantalupensis Group ''sensu stricto''), which has non- to slightly netted rind and orange flesh, includes the following types:<ref name="Pitrat 2017" />

* Sub-group Prescott with deeply ribbed rind, such as 'Prescott Fond Blanc'.
* Sub-group Saccharinus with speckled and slightly ribbed rind, such as 'Sucrin de Honfleur'
* Sub-group [[Charentais melon|Charentais]] with non-speckled, slightly ribbed and green-sutured rind.

The Israeli cantaloupe (Sub-group Ha'Ogen) is similar to the European one, but it has green flesh.<ref name="Pitrat 2017" />

The muskmelon or American cantaloupe (formerly Reticulatus Group but now merged into Cantalupensis Group), which has strongly netted rind and orange flesh, includes the following types:<ref name="Pitrat 2017" />

* Sub-group American Western with non- to slightly ribbed and wholly netted rind.
* Sub-group American Eastern with more or less ribbed rind of which the sutures are not or less netted.
Some sources also include Tuscan melons among American cantaloupes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-19 |title=Melon Types |url=https://www.vegetables.bayer.com/ca/en-ca/resources/agronomic-spotlights/melon-types.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250422000735/https://www.vegetables.bayer.com/ca/en-ca/resources/agronomic-spotlights/melon-types.html |archive-date=2025-04-22 |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=Bayer Vegetables Canada}}</ref> These Tuscan-type melons have smaller seed cavities like American western varieties but also have ribs like American eastern varieties. Tuscan melons have noticeably different flavor, potentially due to higher production of ester compounds in these varieties.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Niyakan |first=Seyednami |last2=Nagashima |first2=Yukihiro |last3=Singh |first3=Jashbir |last4=Metrani |first4=Rita |last5=Crosby |first5=Kevin M. |last6=Jifon |first6=John L. |last7=Jayaprakasha |first7=GK |last8=Ravishankar |first8=Sadhana |last9=Brierley |first9=Paul |last10=Leskovar |first10=Daniel I. |last11=Turini |first11=Thomas A. |last12=Schultheis |first12=Jonathan |last13=Coolong |first13=Timothy |last14=Guan |first14=Wenjing |last15=Miller |first15=Rhonda |date=2023-11-01 |title=Genetic and geographical inputs that shape Metabolomic and transcriptomic profiles of melon fruits |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0304423823005083 |journal=Scientia Horticulturae |volume=321 |pages=112337 |doi=10.1016/j.scienta.2023.112337 |issn=0304-4238}}</ref>

=== Other similar types ===
A melon with netted rind is not necessarily a cantaloupe. Many varieties of Chandalak Group and Ameri Group also have netted rind.<ref name="Pitrat 2017" />

The Japanese muskmelon (Sub-group Earl's) resembles the American cantaloupe in netted rind, but differs in green flesh and non-[[dehiscent]] [[Peduncle (botany)|peduncles]]. Therefore, some horticulturists classify the Japanese muskmelon under Inodorus Group instead of Cantalupensis or Reticulatus Group.<ref name="Pitrat 2017" />

==Production==
In 2016, global production of melons, including cantaloupes, totaled 31.2&nbsp;million [[tonne|tons]], with China accounting for 51% of the world total (15.9&nbsp;million tons).<ref name="fao2016">{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC|title=Production of melons, including cantaloupes for 2016 (Crops/world regions/production quantity from pick lists)|date=2017|publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Statistics Division (FAOSTAT)|access-date=12 April 2018}}</ref> Other significant countries growing cantaloupe were [[Turkey]], [[Iran]], [[Egypt]], and [[India]] producing 1 to 1.9&nbsp;million tons, respectively.<ref name=fao2016/>

California grows 75% of the cantaloupes in the US.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Werner|first1=Erika|last2=Reiley|first2=Laura|date=27 August 2021|title=California's 'Cantaloupe Center' struggles to reign supreme as drought pummels agriculture across the West|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/08/27/california-drought-farmers-cantaloupe/|access-date=28 August 2021|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]}}</ref>

==Uses==
===Culinary===

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]]''<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Munnoch |first1=S. A. |last2=Ward |first2=K. |last3=Sheridan |first3=S. |last4=Fitzsimmons |first4=G. J. |last5=Shadbolt |first5=C. T. |last6=Piispanen |first6=J. P. |last7=Wang |first7=Q. |last8=Ward |first8=T. J. |last9=Worgan |first9=T. L. M. |last10=Oxenford |first10=C. |last11=Musto |first11=J. A. |last12=McAnulty |first12=J. |last13=Durrheim |first13=D. N. |title=A multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul in Australia associated with cantaloupe consumption |journal=Epidemiology and Infection |volume=137 |issue=3 |pages=367–74 |year=2009 |pmid=18559128 |doi=10.1017/S0950268808000861 |hdl=1959.13/39126 |s2cid=206280340 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>—it is recommended that a melon be washed and scrubbed thoroughly before cutting and consumption to prevent risk of ''Salmonella'' or other bacterial pathogens.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chfs.ky.gov/news/Salmonella2012.htm |title=Kentucky: Cabinet for Health and Family Services – Salmonella2012 |access-date=18 August 2012 |quote=In general, the FDA recommends thoroughly washing and scrubbing the rinds of all cantaloupes and melons prior to cutting and slicing, and to keep sliced melons refrigerated prior to eating. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224014318/http://chfs.ky.gov/news/Salmonella2012.htm |archive-date=24 December 2014 }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/Penicillin.htm | archive-url = https://archive.today/20110615173141/http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/Penicillin.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = 15 June 2011 | first = Mary | last = Bellis | title = The History of Penicillin: Alexander Fleming, John Sheehan, Andrew J Moyer | date = 30 June 2017 | work = ThoughtCo | access-date = 9 July 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/timeline/penicillin/ |date=14 February 2018 |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service |quote=Then the Peoria researchers made yet another breakthrough. Searching for a superior strain of Penicillium, they found it on a moldy cantaloupe in a Peoria garbage can. When the new strain was made available to drug companies, production skyrocketed. |title=Penicillin Timeline}}</ref>

===Nutrition===

Raw cantaloupe is 90% water, 8% [[carbohydrates]], 0.8% [[protein]] and 0.2% fat (table). In a reference amount of {{convert|100|g}}, raw cantaloupe supplies {{convert|34|kcal|kJ|abbr=on|order=flip}} of [[food energy]], and is a rich source (20% or more of the [[Daily Value]], DV) of [[vitamin A]] (29% DV) and a moderate source of [[vitamin C]] (13% DV).  Other [[micronutrient]]s are in negligible amounts (less than 10% DV) (table).

== See also ==
* [[Melon]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Cucumis melo cantaloupe group}}
*[http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Cucumis.html Sorting Cucumis names]– Multilingual multiscript plant name database

{{clear}}

{{Melons}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q477179}}

[[Category:Cantaloupe| ]]
[[Category:Melons]]
[[Category:Crops originating from Asia]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Nicolas Charles Seringe]]