EMBELLIR | EXOTIC: The Korean Melon

Korean Melon

On my journey to increase my knowledge of fruits and vegetable beyond the apple and kale, I decided to try the Korean  melon (Cucumis melo L. var. makuwa) or chamoe (참외), following its Korean name, is a type of melon primarily grown in Korea. The fruit is typically about half-foot (15 cm) long and weighs slightly over 1 pound (0.45 kg).

My first thought was melon, a word that I recognize--watermelon, honey dew melon.  Of course, I did my research after purchasing and found that the fruit is rich in Vitamin C!

According the information on Wikipedia, in Korean folk medicine, the fruit has been used to assist with fever, mental disorders, jaundice, alcoholism, hepatitis, constipation, syphilis, edema, indigestion, cough, blisters, and alopecia.  Whew!  In addition to that, when hexane was used to extract the fatty acids from the seeds, they were found to contain linoleic acid, oleic acid, and palmitic acid.  The seeds of this melon are very edible.

Essential fatty acids have a ton of benefits on your body and its cells. They help with cellular development and the formation of healthy cell membranes, and they have actually been shown to block tumor formation in animals, as well as block the growth of human breast cancer cells.

I sliced the melon lengthwise in half and removed the seeds.  Then I peeled away the skin and sliced into sections.  The taste is refreshing and light.  The fruit is not overly sweet, but has enough sweetness to not need any sweetener.