Are you ready for the summertime?
Watermelon is the quintessential summer fruit. It’s at every barbeque, every Fourth of July party, have you ever tried a watermelon eating contest?
A chilled watermelon is so refreshing on those hot summer days, and combining watermelon with lemonade is truly everything. You can even make this into a great cocktail by adding your choice of liquor. My go tos are a splash of vodka and maybe even some rum if I’m feeling spicy.
I love this quote by Mark Twain about the watermelon:
“Watermelon is the chief of this world’s luxuries, king by the grace of God over all the fruits of the earth. When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat.” – Mark Twain
The watermelon was first used as a source of water in ancient times, as it is made up of 92% water (the perfect name!). The watermelon came from Southern Africa 5000 years ago, where indigenous people in the Kalahari Desert region used it as their water source. We know that people have been eating watermelons for at least 5000 years because archaeologist found the seeds at a settlement from this time in Libya. The melon was supposedly quite bitter and evolved slowly to the sweet treat it is today, and next found its way to Egypt.
There are depictions of watermelons in paintings and even remnants of watermelons themselves in Egyptian tombs (including in King Tut’s) that are over 4000 years old. Archaeologists believe that Egyptians started to cultivate the wild watermelon to use the water; they may have placed the watermelons in tombs because after death, the Egyptians thought their dead would go on a long journey to get to their afterlife, and so needed “water” to get there. Watermelon evolved here to a sweeter type of fruit.
Watermelon continued to be part of the diets of older civilizations, the bible even references watermelons as a food the Israelites wished for after they left Egypt in Numbers 11:5. The Greeks and Romans continued the tradition of eating watermelon; they actually believed that watermelons could be used for medical treatment. The famous ancient doctor, Hippocrates praised the watermelon for its healing properties, using it to help people with heatstroke by placing the watermelon rind on peoples heads. And Roman Pliny the Elder called the watermelon a cooling food in Historia Naturalis.
Watermelons found their way to Asia with references to them in India in the 600’s and China in the 900’s. The Watermelon spread throughout Europe when the Moors brought the fruit to what is now modern day Spain in the 1200’s and was considered a common European crop in the summer months.
The watermelon either came to North America by European Colonists or the Slave Trade. It was commonly found in the gardens of colonists in the 1600’s. In fact, Thomas Jefferson grew watermelons at his home, Monticello.
Watermelons continue to be grown all over the world, and perfected into the watermelon we know and love today! The advent of seedless watermelons in the 1950’s is a prime example of the changed melon from ancient times. And now, in Japan, they grow square watermelons that sell for over $100 each.
Watermelon is that refreshing summer treat that humans from all parts of history loved, and so why not create a drink, just like the ancients did? Albeit, we’ll be adding some fun extras to this summery special!
What you need:
- 1 Watermelon
- 2 Lemons
- ¼ Cup Sugar
- 3 Cups of Water
Directions:
- Cut the watermelon up and strain the cubes through a strainer to catch all the seeds. You should end up with 3 cups of watermelon juice.
- Juice the lemons.
- Add the lemon juice and watermelon juice to a pitcher. Pour in the sugar and whisk until completely dissolved.
- Add the water to taste
- Refrigerate and add ice cubes
- Add a fun garnish and voila!
