Melon trader in Uzbekistan. Melon collapse in Tashkent. Boy with a torpedo. Melon prices per piece in a store in Tashkent. Melons on the trailer. Selling melons from the car.
, camber at the track. Melons Amiri Wheelbarrow with melons. Chilyaki melons. Kandilyaki melons. Uzbek melons and watermelons for sale.

My first memories of Uzbek melons date back to 1990. Then in Moscow, while still a schoolboy, I returned home after school and watched the melon trade unfolding at our bus stop. A whole truck with "Torpedo" melons traveled for several days from Uzbekistan to Moscow, and now two Uzbeks were laying out their goods for trade.

- Hey boy, come here! - One Uzbek addressed me.

I approached and he offered to help me unload the fruit, for which he promised a serious reward - "Take home as many melons as you can carry!" I definitely liked the terms and agreed to help.

Uzbek melons went to Moscow in September 1990 with a bang. No sooner had my employers set up the counter and the scales, than a line of fans to try oriental sweets immediately formed. I was in the wings - unloading fruits, choosing fruits indicated by the buyer from a heap and even climbing into the truck for the largest melons "from the underground". And when he left in the evening, he took with him a couple of large fragrant "torpedoes".

In the morning next day instead of school, I went straight to the melon collapse.

So I worked for three days, earning six delicious honeydew melons and getting interesting experience fruit trade (which came in handy later). And also I acquired a stable addiction - Uzbek melons became for me the most coveted food on long years... Including the present. Yes, there is the legendary fig; yes, there is the sweetest mulberry; yes, there is a narcotic durian. But all this for me is nothing compared to ripe fragrant honey juicy Uzbek melons.

- The season has just begun. I saw only three varieties of melons at the bazaar ... - Early July 2014 and my friend informs me about the state of affairs in Tashkent. And I pack my suitcase so that I can go to and enjoy fresh local fruits there.

I first came to Uzbekistan in the winter of 2008. I spent a lot of time in neighboring Kyrgyzstan and only for a few days went to Tashkent to visit friends. What was my amazement when, in mid-December, I saw several breakdowns with melons at the city bazaar! Melons were no longer to be found in Bishkek and Moscow at that time. Also in such quantity and at a reasonable price. Of course, all the time that I was in Uzbekistan, I gorged on melons there.

- What sort is this? - I'm curious about the seller at the melon-melon collapse in Tashkent.

- This is Amiri ...

- This is Kukcha ... - the merchant patiently explains to me. And I try to remember the names so that later I can understand and structure the information.

- Give me this and this, and this one ... How, once again you say, is it called?

- Amiri. From Amir Timur ...

- Yes, Amiri. And give that Torpedo over there and this round one ...

- Obi Navvat

- Yes, obi navvat! - I buy all the varieties and I know that they will not stale at my house. Tomorrow or at worst the day after tomorrow it will be necessary to go for melons again.

We are driving along the highway from Tashkent to Bukhara. All along the road there are piles of melons and watermelons. The end of July 2014 and the melon season in Uzbekistan is in full swing. I deliberately thought of all my movements around the planet to be here and now in this melon paradise. There are so many melons everywhere that the eyes run up - they are sold both in the wreckage, and in the markets, and from carts, trucks, minibuses and cars are filled with them, melons are sold in shops and supermarkets. To make it clear - it's like the durians in September in the city of Davao in the Philippines.

Nobody knows exactly how much there is in Uzbekistan. different varieties melons. I think that the most famous and popular are three varieties:

Torpedo(another name is Mirzachulskaya). Late-ripening variety, the season of which falls in August-September. Probably my favorite melons are large, sweet but not sugary, refreshing and satisfying. The perfect fruit for me.

Shackles... Small melons that ripen in June (or even May). They are very sweet, sugar-rich. I got the impression that Uzbeks call any small melons kandalyashki (diminutive for kandalyaki).

Obi Navvat... Round almost correct shape melons are bright yellow in color. The variety is popular for its bright, rich taste. The name translates as "Sweet nectar". Indeed one of the sweetest and therefore common Uzbek melons.

In total, according to some data, about 150 varieties of melons grow in Uzbekistan. These are old native species, new hybrids, and "neighboring" - Afghan, Tajik. And even overseas - Spanish and Moroccan melons.

- Yes, as they rightly said here, we have more than a hundred different varieties melons. There are melons that ripen only in spring - in May; there are melons that grow in June and July; there are varieties that can be found only in August-September. And there is a variety of melons "Winter", which ripen in October, and gain taste only by December-January ... - We are sitting in a restaurant national cuisine in the center of Bukhara. My interlocutors are engaged in cotton business in Uzbekistan, but would not mind telling me about local fruits.

At the end of July 2014, in addition to the three listed above, I was able to taste the following Uzbek melons:

Uzbek melons: Amiri
Uzbek melons: Basvaldi
Uzbek melons: Jura Kand
Uzbek melons: Kandalyaki
Uzbek melons: Kukcha

Uzbek melons: Obi Navvat
Uzbek melons: Gizil Govun
Uzbek melons: Chelyaki
Uzbek melons: Zhura Govun
Uzbek Melons: Torpedo

Amiri... One of the most popular varieties among the locals. Loose greenish pulp and sweet slightly tart taste. Named after the great conqueror Amir Timur (Tamerlane).

Chelyaki... Translated as a box. Large melons, somewhat reminiscent of "torpedoes", but more about round shape... They taste similar too. Probably very close relatives. I think that in Russia people are sold under the common brand "Uzbek torpedo".

Gizil Govun... The people call it "Krasnomyaska" (this is how it is translated in principle). The inside has a characteristic Orange color... The taste is originally pleasant (how could it be otherwise?) And has many fans among the local population.

Baswaldi... Relatively rare variety melons with greenish pulp inside. Very similar to Amiri. Has an original taste, something like herbal + honey. I was pleasantly surprised by this interesting combination. Basvaldi is one of my main taste discoveries in recent years.

Kukcha... One of the most common varieties of Uzbek melons. I was not particularly impressed with other varieties. Firm pulp, sweet but not full-bodied taste.

Zhura Govun... A very interesting and, apparently, rare variety. I tried it only once and how much I searched afterwards, I could not find it. Original taste, very sweet and full-bodied.

And, of course, all Uzbek melons are extraordinarily fragrant!

At the bazaar, I buy an Uzbek headdress - a skullcap. All the time of my stay in Uzbekistan, the sun beats down and the skullcap perfectly saves my head from direct sun rays... But in a fruit shop in Bukhara I also find another skullcap ...

I pick up a small green melon with clear yellow borders.

- This is the "Skullcap" variety. They grow only near the city of Karshi - says the seller competently. Small ones of regular round shape are green on the outside and with characteristic stripes. They look like a watermelon and, yes, they look like a skullcap. I buy it and taste it at the hotel - a pleasant sweet taste. Skull-caps are good in Uzbekistan!

“Mission Completed” - a thought slips through my head when I take another important step - I collect seeds from the delicious Obi Navvat melon I just eaten. My task is not only to gorge myself on Uzbek melons, but also to collect seeds for further planting in the Philippines. I take seeds from wherever I can - I buy them in bazaars, in special shops, and I pick them out of the fruits myself. Oh, if I could grow a melon on my island with at least 10% of the same aroma and taste as in Uzbekistan ... !!!

From yellows to greens, most of us have tasted huge amounts of melons. Some people know how to determine the quality and ripeness of a melon by its smell alone. Nevertheless, if we consider in detail all existing species melons, you may find that you haven't tasted even half of them. Below are the types of melons you most likely haven't tried ...

10 - Momordica Charantia or Bitter Melon (Bitter)

You will never guess what kind of fruit it is, which has a bitter taste and grows in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. This is a kind of melon! And yes, you guessed it, the fruits of this plant are very bitter.

9 - Chinese Bottle Gourd


These bottle melons are a common symbol of togetherness and are often gifted at weddings or engagement parties! Melons are delicious, of course, but none of them are worth getting married just to taste them.

8 - Breast Vine


These fruits look rough and fake, but they do have a shape. female breast and are 100 percent real. However, farmers use a little trick to grow them. Usually melons grow on the soil, and these melons hang down from the beds. However, they are completely real, and the similarity is so obvious that they just fit to be sold in bras.

7 - Tiger melon


Although this melon has a rich aroma and edible pulp, it is often grown for decorative purposes, like pumpkins!

6 - Pepino


Also known as melon pear, this fruit is yellow in color with a beautiful purple pattern. Many people claim that this type of melon is the best of all, as these melons are juicy and very sweet at the same time.

5 - Papaya

These fruits are among the largest in the world, and also one of the few types of melons that grow on trees! Botanically speaking, these melons are a type of berry, however, the fruit resembles a melon more than any of the known berries.

4 - Watermelon Densuke


It is a very rare Japanese black watermelon that is grown exclusively in the small town of Hokkaido, Japan. It is so rare that it is often sold for thousands of dollars per fruit.

3 - Intense sweetness

These adorable fist-sized melons from Russia are adorned with golden yellow stripes. It is one of the very few types of melons that produce almost all year round.

2 - Melotria rough (Mouse)


If you would like to see the smallest species in the world, then we present to your attention the rough melotria. The most common name for this melon in Spanish is "sandíita" (small watermelon), but locals call these fruits "mouse melons".

1 - Kiwano (Horned)


If a baby was born to pitaya and carambola, it would probably look like a kiwano. The shell of this fruit is studded with horn-like spines. This fruit deserves to be ranked # 1 on our list for its extraordinary health benefits! In fact, it contains almost all the vitamins a person needs!

It is difficult to find a person in the world who, with the word "melon", would not appear pleasant memories about the taste and aroma of this wonderful product. The sunny yellow juicy fragrant berry attracts to itself, especially on hot summer days. But melon is not only delicious dessert but also very useful berry thanks to the content in it a large number vitamins, micro-, macronutrients and some biologically active substances... That's about them, useful properties of melon, as well as contraindications, pesticides, nitrogen fertilizers, etc. we will tell you.

Melon health benefits

The list of health benefits of melon is almost endless. This is primarily organic water, starch and sugars, proteins and carbohydrates, alimentary fiber plus vitamins, potassium, magnesium, folic acid, phosphorus, calcium, silicon, free organic acids and more.

Melon contains a large amount of folate (vitamin B9). It is necessary for the female body during pregnancy, besides, it improves memory and protects us from depression.

Folic acid is destroyed when heat treatment, and it is customary to eat a melon in fresh, thanks to which the vitamin is not destroyed and is well absorbed by the body.

Another vitamin valuable (or, more simply, invaluable) for human health is vitamin C. Due to the high content of this vitamin, melon helps our body to resist colds and feel great throughout the fall.

What else beneficial features melon? Thanks to the presence of silicon in it, it improves the condition of hair and skin. Iron (and there is much more of it in a melon than, for example, in fish and milk) - will increase hemoglobin. Thanks to beta-carotene, we will provide ourselves with beautiful, smooth skin in a noble peach shade.

By the way, despite the color, there is more beta-carotene in a melon than in a carrot.

Magnesium is extremely useful and, in general, indispensable for the heart muscle.

And the most precious thing in a melon is gold! After all, we need gold not only as jewelry. This is the same element, like many others - necessary for the body. So, having sated melons in the season, you will provide yourself with gold (!) For the whole year.

And this is not all, but only the most obvious beneficial properties of melon!

Contraindications

In addition to the beneficial properties of melon, it also has certain qualities that are not very pleasant, and sometimes hazardous to health. The main one can be called its rather difficult digestibility by the gastrointestinal tract. It's no secret that a melon in combination, for example, with milk, gives the same result as a cucumber. For many people, melon can cause intestinal distress. In this regard, melon is contraindicated for people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases. Such as gastritis, gastric ulcer and duodenum and chronic colitis.

Due to the "severity" for the gastrointestinal tract, it is recommended to use the melon as a separate meal, without combining it with anything.

It is noteworthy that in the south, melon, on the contrary, is considered a natural digestive enhancer and is consumed at the end of a hearty meal. And therefore - look at your own well-being. Perhaps - this option is yours;)

What else can a melon contain ...

Another unpleasant aspect is the possible presence of pesticide residues and a large amount of nitrates in the melon. As a rule, melon, especially sold earlier than the usual ripening season (late August - early September), is "filled" in abundance with both.

As you know, pesticides in agriculture are used to combat harmful insects. And since the melon is a sweet fruit, there are enough various insects that love to profit from sweets. Consequently, pesticides for melon protection are used abundantly and widely. Unfortunately, this does not add any health benefits to the melon ...

In testing 49 of the most popular fruits and vegetables for pesticide residues, the common kolkhoz melon ranked fifteenth, and its exotic sweet sister, the cantaloupe melon, ranked eleventh.

In addition to pesticides, nitrogen fertilizers are widely used in melon cultivation. The plant needs nitrogen for active growth and fruiting. Therefore, often, wanting to get a higher and early harvest, an excessive amount of nitrogen fertilizers is introduced into the soil, which, with an excess of nitrogen, is deposited in the leaves and fruits of the plant in the form of sodium nitrate. In small quantities, it is not dangerous to the body, but a large amount of it can lead to poisoning.

From all of the above, we can conclude that you need to choose this product wisely so that the beneficial properties of the melon do not turn into harm. Here are some tips:

• You should not buy a melon earlier than the period of its natural ripening - July-September. Only during this period is the melon most useful.
• You need to choose a melon, especially "Kolkhoz Woman" by its smell. If the berry smells right through the skin, it is a ripe, sweet fruit.
• The greatest amount of nitrates and pesticides accumulates in the peel and in the area of ​​its "tail", so it will be safer to cut this place, and eat or cut the pulp, without saving and retreating from the edge of at least a centimeter.

Since carving is a curly carving on vegetables and fruits, one cannot but touch upon the achievements of a person in the field of growing these products. It is surprising and shocking how far the farmers from different countries.

Below are the most outstanding Guinness World Records from the Big Food section.

THE BIGGEST WATERMOON

Lloyd Bright and his Hope Farm Store have consistently grown giant watermelons since 1979. The last victory was a watermelon, weighing 122 kg. The world record for the speed of eating watermelon was set in 2001 by the Italian Francesco Traina. He managed to devour a kilogram watermelon in 1 minute

THE BIGGEST PUMPKIN

Soji Shirai from Ashibetsu (Japan) is shown next to a 440 kg pumpkin. A medium pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) weighs 1 to 2 kg. The largest pumpkin in the world is grown by Gary Burke of Simcoe (Ontario, Canada) and weighs 495 kg. The record was registered on October 3, 1998.

THE BIGGEST POOL

The largest vegetable marrow in the world was raised by an Australian from the Norfolk Islands. It took two people to lift the 65-kg zucchini.

THE BIGGEST CUCUMBER

The world's largest cucumber grew in the garden of the British gardener Alfo Cobb. Its length reaches 91.7 centimeters. Moreover, this is Cobb's second world record. His previous record cucumber was 89.2 centimeters long.

BIGGEST CABBAGE

John Evans from Alaska, USA, is famous for growing giant vegetables, one of which is cabbage, which weighs 34.4 kg.

HEAVIEST CARROT

John Evans also managed to grow the heaviest carrot weighing 8.5 kg in 1998.

BIGGEST CAULIFLOWER

Continuing his streak of records, Evans has grown the largest cauliflower, which weighed 14.1 kg.

LONGEST CARROT

The record carrot 4 m 57 cm long was grown by James Crowe.

THE BIGGEST TOMATO

Gordon Graham from Edmond grew a 3.51 kg tomato in 1986. He also grew a 16.3m tall tomato bush. It was reported that 12,312 pieces grew on a separate bush. tomatoes in 347 days. And the Japanese entered the Guinness Book of Records by growing on a special frame a tomato-tree as high as a three-story house.

THE BIGGEST MANGO

Colleen Porter, resident of Kailua-Kona, Hawaiian Islands, has grown the largest mango in the world. The record fruit weighs 2.46 kg! The Keitt variety, which owns the record fruit, usually does not exceed 1.3 kg.

BIGGEST ONION

Leeks weighing 4.34 kg were grown by Hankey Bishop in 1983.

THE BIGGEST BULB

Mel Edney from Anstrater (Fife, UK) in 1997 grew the world's largest onion weighing 7.03 kg.

THE BIGGEST POTATO POTATO POTATO

Lebanese farmer Khalil Semkhat from the southern city of Tire could not believe his eyes when he discovered such a huge potato yam in his garden - 11.2 kg.

HEAVIEST BROCCOLI

And then John Evans succeeded: he grew a giant broccoli weighing 15.8 kg.

THE LARGEST VIETNAM CAUSER

A two-meter Vietnamese zucchini was raised by a 63-year-old pensioner from Chisinau, Nina Sychuk. Vegetable - the record holder was stretching by leaps and bounds. From time to time I added ten centimeters (!) A day. You could eat zucchini in parts: just cut off a piece, and the vegetable, you know, grows further.

THE BIGGEST POTATO

It was established that the British farmer J. Est from Spalding dug up a potato weighing 3.2 kg in 1963, from which the tuber grown in 1982 on the field of the British D. Busby from Atherston could not take a record just because he had such same weight. The 8.3 kg potato tuber, which is said to have been grown in 1795 in Chester, must be classified as a dubious legend.

THE BIGGEST YIELD OF POTATO

Musatov Vyacheslav Fedorovich from the city of Bobruisk-25 (Belarus) took a large potato crop from one bush. Under one bush of Sineglazka potatoes, 26 potatoes with a total weight of 3 kg 150 g grew.

THE BIGGEST DAIKON

The world's largest daikon was raised by a resident of the city of Sakurajima, located next to the same name active volcano in the south Japanese island Kyushu. Raised by 58-year-old Manabu Ono, the daikon pulled 29.6 kg and had no equal in the competition held in this city. Its organizers intend to apply for the entry of the miracle radish into the Guinness Book of Records. In it, by the way, while the record holder is the daikon, grown by the same enthusiast, who this time surpassed his own achievement by 8.4 kg at once.

BIGGEST CORN COB

Bernard Lavery from Rhondda (UK) has grown an ear of corn 92 cm long.

THE BIGGEST PINEAPPLE

Pineapple weighing 8.06 kg was grown in 1994 by E. Kamuk from Ace Village (Papua New Guinea).

THE BIGGEST GRAPEFRUIT

J. Willington collected a fruit weighing 2.966 kg. (Tuscon, Arizona 12.21.84).

THE LONGEST COLLARABI

Kohlrabi 4.16 m long was raised in 1982 by B.T. Newton (Australia).

THE BIGGEST LEMON

The lemon weighing 3.88 kg and 74.9 cm in circumference was harvested in California in 1982.

THE BIGGEST MELON

Melon weighing 118 kg. matured in 1985 in the USA.

THE BIGGEST PEAR

A copy weighing 1.405 kg. was recorded in 1979 in South Wales.

THE BIGGEST SUGAR BEET

Vegetable weighing 20.63 kg. was grown in California in 1974

BIGGEST REPAIR

Turnip weighing 15.975 kg. matured in C.W.Butler in Nafferton in 1972. A turnip weighing 33.1 kg was reported in 1768 and a turnip weighing 23.1 kg was reported from Alaska in 1981.

THE LONGEST CHILI PEPPER

The specimen is 6.6 m long. was spotted in 1985-1986.

THE LARGEST CHAMMER OF TOMATOES

A bunch of tomatoes weighing 9.175 kg. raised C. Bowcock in Merseyside.

The largest berry in the world is an ordinary and familiar watermelon. Not many would agree that watermelon is a berry, but botanists have proven this long ago.

In the world of botanists, a berry is a juicy fruit that has a lot of seeds. Based on this wording, it can be understood that a watermelon is quite suitable for this definition.

Watermelon is a member of the pumpkin family. This fruit has appropriated the title "the biggest berry" because its weight can reach 20 kilograms, and from the side it looks 2 times more than an ordinary basketball. There are records in the world for the size of this juicy fruit.

America's world record

In 2005, a farming family was able to grow a giant berry. The weight of their fruit was about 125 kg. The size of such a watermelon is hard to even imagine. The giant berry has been cultivated for 26 years, that is, since 1979. Previously, the family had already grown large fruits of a watermelon, but this one was able to surpass absolutely their entire harvest, by the way, like the world one.

Their watermelon variety was called Carolina Cross. Having raised him, the family managed to get into the Guinness Book of Records.

But not only this family is fond of growing giant berries. In Louisiana, one of the families gained fame for a 119 kg watermelon. In addition, their fruit had a very interesting and unique length - 95 cm. Now this family is trying to overcome the previous rivals and surpass their watermelon. They even decided on how to achieve such a result: they chose a special variety and plan to leave a single fruit, constantly turn it over so that it is fully ripe. It is to such tricks that people who want to get into the Book of Records resort.

The Japanese, accustomed to being ahead of the whole planet, decided to surpass the record of the Americans, but so far they have managed to grow a watermelon weighing "only" 111 kg.

World record in Europe

A giant watermelon has also been grown in Europe. Unless he has surpassed the American record yet. However, Europe's results are also impressive. A young man from Russia was able to grow a watermelon weighing 61 kg. This happened in 2009. The variety of this watermelon had a very attractive name - "Russian size". Russian Igor Likhosenko's attempt to grow such a berry was not the first, before that he managed to get a watermelon weighing 3 kg lighter. He, like American families, is not going to stop. His plans include the further cultivation of giant watermelons.

Features of watermelon

A familiar watermelon can, in addition to green-yellow stripes, surprise with black stripes and acid-yellow ones. At the same time, from the inside, this large berry can be pink, bright red or crimson.

Only a few people know the true origin of the name of the fruit. He received the name "watermelon" from the Iranian word "harbuz". The literal translation means the phrase "donkey-sized cucumber". The birthplace of watermelon is considered South Africa... He came to Russia in 1660 by tsarist decree.

Even in ancient times, watermelon helped to cope with spots or pimples on the face. Freckles were removed with watermelon juice and acne was treated. Healers also ordered to make a decoction of its pulp and wipe the face with it.

One more useful application watermelon - fighting overweight... After all, the largest berry on earth is capable of improving metabolism.

The most popular use of the giant berry today is to help a patient with anemia, as well as to replenish iron in the body. It is recommended to eat it during pregnancy and lactation.

Watermelon is also highly effective for blood diseases, such as anemia. Perfectly removes toxins from the body.

Top large berries in the world after watermelon

This is a berry. It is considered the largest in the world after the watermelon. The orange beauty grows up to 50-70 kg! Many argue that this is a vegetable, there are even clever people who say that pumpkin is a fruit, but botanists have clearly defined: pumpkin is a berry! So that there are no questions about assigning the characteristics of a berry to this fruit, it should be remembered that the watermelon belongs to the pumpkin family. In addition, the above is a description of the berry, under which the pumpkin, no doubt, fits.

Its fruit also belongs to berries, thanks to the presence of seeds and pulp. An interesting fact is that the largest melon reached a length of 75 cm.

Melon, unlike watermelons, is a subtropical berry, its homeland is middle Asia... In these places, the melon is considered bread and salt.

Zucchini and eggplant

Are the squash and eggplant also berries? And these fruits belong to the pumpkin. They reach approximately the same size. At the same time, both courgette and eggplant can grow larger than expected.

He goes next in this top. And there can be controversy over pineapple. After all, his fruit has no seeds. But it is recognized as a berry. Pineapple belongs to the genus of bromeliads, which bear fruit with berries. How is pineapple formed? An inflorescence grows from the middle of the leaves, which turns into an inflorescence from the combined fruits.

The homeland of this berry is Brazil. She got to Europe thanks to Columbus. Then the inhabitants of Europe began to grow pineapples in all greenhouses and greenhouses, spread the berries on the territory of their colonies.

Tomato

Tomato or tomato. Despite the fact that the tomato is more commonly called a vegetable, in reality it is a berry. But all the same, in everyday life, a tomato is called only a vegetable. It goes well with other products in taste, therefore it is widely used in cooking. In many salads, it is the main ingredient; meat and fish are baked with it, canned, and tasty and healthy juice is made from tomatoes.

The birthplace of this berry is South America, namely the tropics. Wild tomatoes still grow in this place. They came to Europe with the Spanish conquerors. And they immediately gained popularity among the population.

Cucumber

The cucumber also belongs to the pumpkin family, and they like to call the watermelon the giant cucumber. Not surprisingly, he was included in the top. Because the fruit of a cucumber is a berry, although traditionally in cooking it is called a vegetable. Cucumber is the lowest calorie food. He has very wide application v folk medicine.