Wonderful world of watermelon

Biblical scholars have long speculated about just what fruit Adam and Eve succumbed to when they ate themselves out of house and home in the Garden of Eden. Figs, pomegranates, apricots, bananas, and, of course, apples have been nominated. But according to Mark Twain, it couldn't have been a watermelon. Why? Because Adam and Eve repented, explained Twain, and no one would repent after eating a watermelon.

The "Father of American Literature" had a point. Certainly millions of Americans would agree. Watermelon is the most popular melon in the United States. On average each of us eats 17 pounds of it annually, chiefly in the summer as few foods shout summer more than watermelon.

Susan Janzow checked the progress of a Desert King watermelon growing at Janzow Farms north of Cape Girardeau.

Twain's fellow Missourians surely wouldn't argue with him. Missouri is among the top 10 producers of watermelon in the nation and nine out of 10 Missouri watermelons are grown right here in the southern part of the state, principally in Pemiscot and Dunklin counties where they thrive in the sandy soil.

Worldwide there are twice as many watermelons produced as all other melons combined, a rather remarkable state of affairs considering that, in keeping with its name, the watermelon is, after all, mostly water -- 92 percent to be exact. In fact, early explorers often used watermelons in lieu of canteens. Thus the great tenor Enrico Caruso observed that with a watermelon you not only eat, but you drink and wash your face as well.

Nonetheless, for thousands of years people have been singing the praises of this fruit. Actually the watermelon is sometimes called a "fregetable" because though botanically a fruit it is also a member of the same plant family as cucumbers and squash and, like them, is grown from seeds, harvested and cleared from the field like a vegetable. Moreover, in some cuisines watermelon is treated more like a vegetable than a fruit. In Asia, for example, it might be stir-fried, stewed or pickled.

The first recorded watermelon harvest took place almost 5,000 years ago in Egypt. The delicacy is believed to have originally grown wild in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa where cave drawings depicting it have been discovered. Wild watermelons no larger than apples still grow throughout Africa. Watermelons were often put in the tombs of the pharaohs for their nourishment in the afterlife. Indeed, watermelon seeds were found in King Tut's tomb.

By the ninth century the watermelon had found its way via trade routes from Africa to India and by the 12th century to China, now the world's leading producer, and then to southern Europe, thanks to the Moors. European colonists and African slaves brought it to the New World in the late 16th century.

These days trendy chefs have developed all kinds of imaginative recipes using watermelon, including watermelon mousse, watermelon pizza and even grilled watermelon, not to mention cocktails made with Smirnoff's new watermelon vodka.

But the truth is, you need little more than a sprinkling of salt on a ripe, red chunk of the stuff to appreciate Twain's observation that watermelon must be what the angels eat.

Watermelon Gazpacho

It's hard to believe that the name for this classic cold soup may have evolved from the Spanish word meaning "worthless things."

Inherently refreshing, it is made even more so by the replacement of the traditional tomatoes with watermelon in this recipe adapted from "Iron Chef" Cat Cora.

6 cups seeded and diced watermelon

1 cup peeled, seeded and diced cucumber

1 cup seeded and diced red bell pepper

1 cup seeded and diced yellow bell pepper

1 small jalapeno chile, seeded and minced

1/2 cup diced inner celery stalks

1 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Puree 4 cups melon. Add remaining 2 cups diced melon and rest of ingredients. Stir to combine, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream. Makes 4 servings.

Tom Harte's book, "Stirring Words," is available at local bookstores. A Harte Appetite airs at 8:49 a.m. Fridays on KRCU, 90.9 FM. Contact Tom at semissourian.com or at the Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699.