Hami melon is also known as snow melon, Gong melon, produced in Hami is the most famous, so it is called Hami melon.
The origin of the name of Hami melon
It is said that more than 200 years ago, the king of Hami sent an envoy to the Emperor Qianlong tribute thick-skinned melon, Qianlong ate it and then asked the people around him: what is this melon? Those who do not know the name, only know that the King of Hami tribute to the answer: this is the Hami melon.
So the Central Plains called this melon for Hami melon, has continued to this day.
The Qing dynasty scholars banished to Xinjiang when passing through Hami, there was a record of Hami melon: Hami melon tribute only cooked to five or six points, the way between the closed package bundle, the melon steam Yu, to the capital can be cooked to eight points, the transportation of cooked that is moldy carry on.
Hami King said, this place is warm, sweet springs, no rain, so melon flavor
Turfan's best cantaloupe
The whole of Xinjiang is suitable for the growth of cantaloupe, the best place is Turfan, where there are unique natural conditions: is located in the hinterland of inland Asia, the ocean winds are not easy to blow into the rainfall is very little, long hours of sunshine, the temperature difference between day and night, is very conducive to the photosynthesis and the accumulation of sugar conversion. The temperature difference between day and night is large, which is very favorable for photosynthesis and the transformation and accumulation of sugar.
The better varieties are Meirong, Queen, Department of Gold, Drunken Immortal, Reticulated Goodness, Packet of Sugar, White Skin Crisp, Bakzati, Red Heart Guess, and Beauty Eyebrows, and so on.
For example, the Red Heart Crisp is bright green on the sunny side and yellowish on the yin side, with a dense reticulation, as if it were a sculpted work of art.
This melon flesh is tender, orange-red color, with a milky flavor, containing much sugar.
Another kind of beauty eyebrow, also called black eyebrow, melon skin yellow, there are a small number of dark green longitudinal lines, as if the appearance of eyebrows, so the name.
Its flesh is bright green, soft and juicy, very sweet, this melon also has a characteristic, that is, the melon skin is thick, resistant to storage.
Hami melon distribution in Xinjiang
Hami melon in Xinjiang is widely distributed, in addition to a few alpine areas, most areas are cultivated, high-quality Hami melon produced in the Xinjiang Division County, Hami and Turfan Basin, Shihezi is also commonly planted.
Today there are more than 180 varieties of cantaloupe, and the size, shape and flesh color of the melon vary widely.
The big ones are like cannonballs, weighing more than 10 kilograms; the small ones are like coconuts, weighing less than 1 kilogram.
The shape of the melon is oval, oblate, oblong, spherical, etc.; the skin color of the melon is yellow, green, brown, white, etc.; the rind is different from netted and smooth; and the flesh is white, green, yellow, orange and red in many ways.
If you distinguish by flavor, there are crispy, sheer, wine flavor and so on.
Nutritional and medicinal value of cantaloupe
Each 100 grams of cantaloupe contains 142 kilojoules of energy, 0.5 grams of protein, 0.1 grams of fat, 0.2 grams of dietary fiber, 7.7 grams of carbohydrates, 920 micrograms of carotene, and also contains a variety of other vitamins and minerals.
The carbohydrates it contains are mainly glucose and sucrose, so it is very sweet.
Also, more prominent is the carotene, more than the melon in the white melon, white gold melon, white orchid melon, vegetable melon, Buddha's hand melon, cucumber, golden melon, watermelon, melon and so on.
The Chinese medicine believes that the cantaloupe is sweet and cool in nature, and its main function is to clear summer heat, quench thirst, facilitate urination, and pass the congestion of the three jiao.
The cantaloupe's melon tip is called bitter clove, bitter cold and poisonous, the active ingredient is cantaloupe toxin, which is able to treat wind-phlegm lodging and water-dampness stopping drinking and other symptoms.
Hami melon seeds contain 27% fat and 5.75% protein for oil extraction.
When used medicinally, it should be dried, mashed and de-oiled, and has the functions of dispersing knots, eliminating blood stasis, clearing the lungs and moistening the intestines.