Food - Drink
What Is A Yellow Watermelon And Where Can You Buy One?
By HOPE NGO
A juicy slice of ripe watermelon on a warm, sunny day is the epitome of summer, but you're definitely not picturing yellow watermelon, are you? Despite being categorized as Citrullus lanatus, making it technically a gourd and a relative of pumpkins and squashes, yellow watermelon is just as delicious and juicy as its pink relatives, making it the ideal fruit for all of your summer plans.
While yellow watermelons may seem "exotic," they are not only natural but also existed before the more well-known pink and red types. Yellow watermelons first appeared on the African continent, where they thrived in hot and dry conditions and were valued for their capacity to retain water.
Despite early varieties of yellow watermelon being renowned for their water content, they lacked the sweet flavor and red hue we now know and love. As farmers began selectively cross-breeding watermelon to enhance its flavor and texture, the fruit morphed from yellow to red as a nutrient called lycopene began appearing in higher concentrations.
Today’s varieties of yellow watermelon are just as sweet as their red counterparts, and when ripe, they taste very similar, with yellow watermelon having a slightly more honey-like flavor to match its yellow hue. Nutritionally, both fruits are rich in Vitamins A and C, and while red watermelon has high levels of the antioxidant lycopene, yellow watermelon has high levels of the antioxidant beta-carotene.
To taste one for yourself, your best bet would be a local farmer’s market or a fruit shop specializing in hard-to-get produce. If you do, you might come across the "yellow crimson," which resembles pink watermelons, the "buttercup yellow melon," which is seedless and exceptionally sweet, the "desert king," which resembles a cantaloupe, or the small, crisp, sweet, and juicy "yellow doll."