Melon varieties: characteristics and properties

The Melon, one of the emblematic summer fruits, is rich in nutritional properties. And did you know that there are many varieties, distinguished by shape and size, skin colour and pulp?

The characteristics of melon varieties

Here are the characteristics of the most popular melon varieties.

• The Retato melon, with a rounded shape and a ”scarred” peel like a thick lattice. The Retato pulp is very sweet and is, indeed, generally proposed as an appetizer in combination with crudo ham, which balances the sweetness of the fruit with its flavor. In short, a perfect combination!
• The Cantaloupe melon, spherical in shape, with a smooth skin and a bright orange sweet flesh… it is perhaps the most consumed melon in summer!
• The Casaba melon, spherical in shape, with a wrinkled and yellow skin and a juicy and slightly sweet pulp, mainly available in winter.
• The Galia melon, oblong in shape, with a thin skin and a greenish-white pulp, is typically summery and has a delicate and sweet taste.
• The Piel de Sapo melon, mostly wintery, known as “Sardinian melon” as it mainly grows in Sardinia. Elongated in shape, it has a green skin and a very sweet pulp.
• The Yellow-coloured melon, with greenish flesh and wrinkled and yellowish skin.

The nutritional content of melon

Rich in antioxidant properties, vitamins (A and C) and mineral salts (potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, zinc and iron), melon has a low caloric intake (about 35 kcal), so much so, that it is also recommended in diets.

Let us, now, consider, the nutritional content of about 100 grams of melon:

• 91 g of water;
• 9 g of carbohydrates in the winter melon, and 7.4 g in the summer melon;
• 8 g of protein;
• 7 g of fiber;
• 2 g of lipids.

Cantaloupe and Pachino melon: two varieties selected by RivaReno

The Cantaloupe melon is a “red” variety. Its pulp is, in fact, of a beautiful orange colour, almost reddish. Excellent, also, as a healthy and nutritious snack at the end of a meal, or used as an ingredient in smoothies, sorbets or, in a delicious ice cream such as Rivareno. The curious name comes from a popular tradition. It is said that some missionaries, returning from Asia, brought this variety of melon to the pontifical castle of Cantalupo (in the province of Rieti). When the Pope moved to France, he brought with him the seeds of the fruit, which from then on was called “Cantalupo” (precisely because of its geographical origin).

The Pachino melon, on the other hand, has a red or salmon color and is grown in southern Sicily, especially in the territories of Pachino, from where the name of the variety derives. Given the very sweet flesh of the Pachino melon, RivaReno has selected it as a raw material for an ice cream with 100% real fruit. Taste it now!