Shape of Japanese’s watermelons
There’s one thing you just have to enjoy in Japanese summer, and that's watermelons. Imagine mom saying “Kids, the watermelon is ready!” And “I’m coming, mom!” A big round watermelon being cut open on a table… BUT! Japanese watermelons are no longer round! Today PingMag shows off our favorite watermelon collection and gives a bit of insight into plant breeding.
Melon Origins
Watermelons in interesting shapes all started with a cubic watermelon that a farmer in the Kagawa prefecture grew about 20 years ago. Originally, this was created on the idea that a watermelon in the shape of a cube would fit more readily in a compact refrigerator. (How efficient the Japanese are!) Unfortunately, though, the odd shape had an adverse effect on their sweetness, and they are mainly sold as decorations.
Since not so many square watermelons are harvested (between 800 and 1,000 per season) the price naturally goes up to about 12,000 yen, which is about 98 US Dollars or 71 Euro! However, its unusual shape brings it a lot of attention from all over the world. Not only have European and Hong Kong media featured THE watermelon, but also the president of an Asian country and a Syrian senior official have bought the surprising melons! Today, these strange watermelons from Japan have become known all around the world.
Multi-Shaped Vegetables
Round, square, what is next? Yes: triangular. Here comes the “pyramid watermelon” from Hokkaido. Because the method of cultivation is quite difficult compared to the cubic one, between five and ten pyramid watermelons are produced each year. Consequently, this amounts to a whopping 80,000 yen (650 US Dollars or 480 Euro)!
But creating uniquely shaped watermelons doesn’t stop at simple geometric shapes… Here is a human-faced watermelon from Fukuoka. It’s funny and cute and one look at it will surely make you smile. You will probably even find yourself talking to it… Since it is originally created as an interior decoration, you can’t expect it to taste exactly wonderful. This funny face is mostly purchased by restaurants where they are put on display.
Breeding Secrets
You have probably been wondering how on earth these strange watermelons are created. We surely won’t spare you the details! For that, we interviewed Mr. Okumura of Fruits Village Okumura, where the cubic and pyramid watermelons are sold:
“I can’t really talk in detail about how they are created, because it’s a patented process. But I can tell you the farmers first make a frame and put a small watermelon in it, just like pouring metal in a mold. The watermelon fills the given shape as it grows. There is a much more complex and secret method for creating the human faced one, though…,” Mr. Okumura explains.
Can only watermelons be grown into such strange shapes? No, there’s more! Students of the Atsumi Agricultural High School invented and cultivated cubic melons called “Kaku-Melo” as Kaku means “angle” in Japanese. Unlike the watermelons for decorative use, a Kaku-Melo is really sweet and tasty. And, you can buy a whole melon for just 15,000 yen which might be nearly a bargain compared to earlier mentioned products.
Mr. Okumura continues:
”It just started from an idea of high school students, but then it got bigger and bigger. The students were granted a cultivation patent, and its name, Kaku-Melo, is now an officially registered trademark. This was done with the cooperation of a local agricultural cooperative, a polytechnic high school, and an industrial high school. You can see Kaku-Melo at shops in the beginning of July.”
No comments:
Post a Comment