Hami melon, known as sweet melon and muskmelon in ancient times, is called "Kuhong" in Uyghur. The origin of the name Hami melon is also rumored to be related to tribute. It is said that when Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty tasted this kind of melon, he once asked what the melon was called. The servant only knew that it was presented by the prince of Hami County, so he replied that it was Hami melon. From then on, the name of cantaloupe spread like wildfire. This legend may not be true, but the name of Hami melon began during the Kangxi period, which is well documented. "Xinjiang Huibu Zhi" of the Qing Dynasty says: "Since the surrender of Hami in the early Kangxi period, this melon began to pay tribute, and it is called Hami melon." There is also a saying that Xinjiang melons are mostly shipped from Hami to the mainland, so people are used to calling it Hami melon. .

Hami melons can be grown in most oases in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. Xinjiang produces about 500,000 tons of fresh melons every year. The famous production areas of cantaloupe are Turpan Basin, Jiashi, Maigaiti, Pishan, Yutian in southern Xinjiang and Xiayedi, Jinghe and Wujiaqu in northern Xinjiang, which are close to the desert. Among them, the crispy red heart melon produced in Turpan is the most outstanding. This kind of melon has now become a high-end commodity for export (the price is two to four times higher than that of ordinary fruits) and travels across the ocean. The melon is long and oval in shape and weighs 2-3 kilograms. Its skin is gray-green and the stem is covered with coarse mesh patterns. Its flesh is as bright as crystal jade, sweet and plump, fragrant and mellow, crisp and refreshing. When you bite your upper teeth, it feels like a layer of sticky honey is smeared on your lips. Since this kind of melons are the best produced in the East Lake area of ??Shanshan County, there is a saying that "Xinjiang melons are the best in the world, and East Lake melons are the best in Xinjiang."

Hami melon is divided into two types: reticulated and smooth. According to the maturity stage, it is divided into early-maturing melon egg, summer melon (medium-maturing), winter melon (late-maturing) and other varieties. Different varieties of melons have different shapes, colors, and skin textures. Common fine varieties include Red Heart Crisp, Black Eyebrow Honey Gan (the melon skin has dark stripes like eyebrows, so it is called Black Eyebrow; "Mijigan" means flower skirt in Uyghur), Fortress Red, Iron Skin, and Green Ma Skin , reticulated fragrant pear, Hami Jagheda, small green skin, white crispy pear and fragrant pear yellow, etc. In the current practice of plastic greenhouse cultivation, early-maturing melons are put on the market in May every year, and then various melons mature one after another; the later-maturing black eyebrow honey is almost in late autumn when it goes on the market. This kind of late-maturing winter melon is of high quality and resistant to storage and transportation. After being exposed to the sun in autumn, it is bagged with a rope and hung in a warm kiln for the winter. When eaten in the spring, it will still be as delicious as new. It is common for ordinary people in Xinjiang to dry watermelons on their roofs, pile melons under their beds, cut them open to entertain guests, and spend the night enjoying melons around the stove in the cold winter months. Cantaloupe is not only delicious but also nutritious. According to analysis, the dry matter of cantaloupe contains 4.6-15.8 sugars, 2.6-6.7 cellulose, malic acid, pectin substances, vitamins A, B, C, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, iron and other elements. The iron content is two to three times more than that of chicken and 17 times higher than that of milk. Xinjiang people love to eat cantaloupe. They believe that eating more melons can cure diseases and prolong life. This statement is not unreasonable. In addition to being eaten fresh, cantaloupe can also be made into dried melon, preserved melon, and melon juice. The melon seeds can be used as medicine to treat diseases, and the melon rinds can promote fattening when fed to sheep. Hami melon is really a great treasure of Xinjiang!

There are many varieties of Hami melon in Xinjiang. According to a survey conducted by relevant departments from 1979 to 1981, more than 180 varieties and types were collected in Japan. The size, shape, skin color, and flesh color of melons vary greatly, ranging from less than one kilogram to more than ten kilograms; they are oblate, spherical, oval, oval, cylindrical, and long rod-shaped; Skin colors include white, yellow, green, and brown. It is covered with various spots, patches, stripes and strips; the color of the flesh is white, green, or orange; the texture of the flesh is crisp or soft; the seeds are divided into large, medium and small, and some are flat and wavy. Don't.

After a long period of planting and breeding, a number of excellent varieties with different characteristics have been bred. Among them, the most popular varieties are: Red Heart Crisp Hami Melon, which is called Talang Kekeqi in Uyghur. The fruit weighs about three kilograms, is oblong, has a slightly larger base, has light yellow-green skin with cyan spots on the top, thick and sparse reticulation, light orange-red flesh, tender texture, and is red, fragrant, crisp, sweet and refreshing. Excellent quality. Black Eyebrow Honey Sweet Cantaloupe is named after the stripes on its peel that resemble "eyebrows". The flesh is green, soft and juicy, sweet and mellow in flavor.

The reticulated fragrant cantaloupe has fine reticulated patterns on the melon surface, green and white flesh, and a refractive sugar content of 15%, and the highest can reach 22%. It is a famous high-sugar variety with a sweet and delicious flavor. In addition, there are also a bag of sugar, white crispy, bakzati, cara cocochi, etc., which are all high-quality cantaloupe varieties that are very popular among consumers.

In order to prolong the freshness of cantaloupe, local melon farmers often use earth cellar hanging storage method, which can keep it for four or five months. If you have the opportunity to visit Laogua Farm, you can taste delicious fresh cantaloupe after the Spring Festival or even on May Day. Making dried cantaloupe is a traditional processing method. The sweet pilaf made with dried melons, dried apricots, and raisins mixed with rice has a unique ethnic flavor.

The reason why Hami melons are of excellent quality is naturally closely related to Xinjiang’s soil, water conservancy, and climate. The rich experience in cultivating melons accumulated by Xinjiang farmers over thousands of years is even more important for the continuous development of Hami melons. condition.

At present, Xinjiang cantaloupe has created a brand name in the Hong Kong market. At banquets in restaurants, it has become a rare and precious fruit like Xinjiang's seedless white grapes. A dish of cantaloupe can enhance the value of the banquet.