There is a fruit that grows very peculiarly, the fruit is oblong in shape, the skin is green when it is not ripe, and when it is ripe it turns purplish-red or lavender. The shape resembles a banana, and the purple skin looks like an eggplant when ripe.
This fruit is the August melon.
August melon. The stock copyright picture, reprinting and using may cause copyright disputes
As a niche fruit in the sparse forests and hilly shrubs of the southern mountains, many northern friends may find it very unfamiliar. But in the past two years, August melons have gone out of the mountains and become Internet celebrity fruits.
August melon is known as the "king of wild fruits", what is unique about it? Why do some people say "spit out seeds until your mouth is sour"? Today, let's explore this fascinating and mysterious fruit.
August melon, where is sacred?
The scientific name of August melon is three-leaf wood, also known as wild banana, cow cashew nut, August fried, Chinese kidney fruit, etc., mainly distributed in the mountainous areas of Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, Hubei and other places in the mainland.
The stock copyright picture, reprinting and using may cause copyright disputes
Why is it called August melon? Because the fruit usually ripens in the eighth lunar month, it will automatically crack open when ripe, revealing the attractive flesh inside. As the saying goes, "August melon, fried in September, picked in October to coax the doll", therefore, August melon also has another name called August fried.
Source: Official website of the Royal Horticultural Society of United Kingdom
August melons are on the market on a large scale in September ~ October every year. In Kunming, Yunnan Province, fresh August melons have been listed in large quantities, and the price is generally 35~38 yuan/kg, which is 5~10 yuan/kg cheaper than in previous years.
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In the ranks of fruits, August melon is one of the important representatives of the emerging fruit industry in recent years, and it is also one of the world's third-generation fruits with great development potential.
So, what is the world's third-generation fruit? It refers to those mountain fruits that are distributed in barren mountain forest areas and are still in a wild state that have not been fully exploited, as well as some newly developed high-quality specialty fruits, such as prickly pear, sea buckthorn, raspberry, sour date and August melon.
These 4 nutritional values of August melon
It's outstanding
August melon is a food of the same origin as medicine and food, and the fruits, rhizomes and other fruits and stems of August melon can be made into traditional Chinese medicine after drying.
In the past, most of the studies focused on its medicinal value, and there were relatively few studies on nutrition. Judging from the literature on the nutritional research of August melon in recent years, August melon has these 4 outstanding nutritional values:
1. High in vitamin C
Most of the August melons come from wild fruits, and even if you buy them on e-commerce platforms, you will be told that the fruits come from "wild".
Wild fruits such as sea buckthorn and prickly pear are known to be high in vitamin C. And August melon, per 100g of pulp contains 108mg, which is 3~4 times that of citrus, which is also very eye-catching.
Source: Photographed by the author
2. The calcium content is comparable to that of milk
From the analysis of different experimental results, it was found that the calcium content of August melon was higher than that of ordinary fruits, ranging from 47~242mg per 100g pulp, which was comparable to milk and green leafy vegetables.
Pure milk calcium per 100g averages 107mg, while common leafy greens such as spinach are 66mg/100g and canola 148mg/100g.
3. Complete types of essential amino acids and proportions
As a fruit, August melon has a "common problem" of fruits - low protein content.
However, unlike other fruits, August melon has a complete range of essential amino acids, which is close to the ideal protein conditions proposed by WHO/FAO, and has a high absorption and utilization rate, which is rare in the plant kingdom (except for legumes).
4. Rich in crude fiber
The crude fiber content of August melon is relatively high, containing 6.7g per 100g, which is 3~5 times that of apples and pears. If you don't spit out the seeds when eating, the amount of crude fiber will be greatly increased, promote intestinal peristalsis, and help relieve constipation. However, you need to be mentally prepared to see you tomorrow.
In addition to the nutrition of the pulp, the seeds are rich in oil, and the antioxidant components of the skin are also more prominent.
In Yunnan, August melon is not only a fruit, some people will also use the skin of August melon to make dishes to eat: fried ham with August melon skin, cold August melon, stewed chicken with August melon slices, and eggs in August melon cup......
Eat August melon and pay attention to these 3 things
Although the nutrition of August melon is not bad overall, if you want to eat it, you must pay attention to these points:
1. Be careful when shopping online
Because August melons are mostly grown in the southwest or south, many people may need to buy them online if they want to buy them.
First, when purchasing, pay attention to the maturity at the time of mailing. If it is fully cooked and then mailed, it will definitely be broken when it is received, and it is best to mail it to be seven or eight medium cooked. When we get home, even if it's not ripe, we can put it together with the banana to ripen it.
Second, look at the packaging and shipping time. It is best to choose a separate net for each fruit to protect, if the transportation speed is fast, the fruit is not easy to ripen and crack during transportation, and also to avoid the problem of the fruit being soft and squeezing each other.
2. Don't chew the seeds
It's not uncommon for us to see fruits with many seeds, such as watermelons and pomegranates, but August melons may not be the same as these.
The average weight of the flesh of each August melon is 46g, which is about the same weight as a medium-sized egg with the shell removed. The fruit itself is not large, and it looks like a large white silkworm chrysalis from the outside.
When you take a bite, the taste is sweet and dense, but the disadvantage is that there are too many seeds, and you don't know whether to eat seeds or pulp for a while. Experiments have analyzed the seeds of August melon, and found that each single fruit contains nearly 100 seeds, and the proportion of seeds can account for 70%.
August melons have a lot of seeds. Source: Photographed by the author
In the face of the "black seeds" in the flesh of August melons, there are usually two solutions: one is to "swallow the seeds", and the other is to "spit while eating".
Because the flesh and seeds stick together, if you want to spit out the seeds, you need to use your teeth and tongue to separate the flesh from the seeds. This is very difficult, and if you don't finish eating one, you will vomit until your mouth is tired. So, there may also be people who tell you that the seeds can be eaten.
As an experiential person, I really tried it. However, unlike watermelon seeds and pomegranate seeds, the seeds of these two fruits are fragrant, and they are not too burdensome to chew and swallow. But the seeds of the August melon are bitter, and they can't be chewed and swallowed together. If you swallow it directly, because the seeds are a little hard, you will pull your throat and eyes, and the experience is not good.
Therefore, this fruit should not be given to children under the age of 5 to avoid the risk of getting stuck in the throat.
3. Expectant mothers try not to eat
Because August melon may ripen and fry during transportation, increasing the risk of contamination of the pulp, it is not recommended to eat August melon for expectant mothers during pregnancy, so as not to adversely affect themselves and their babies.
The stock copyright picture, reprinting and using may cause copyright disputes
In general, August melon, this fruit that is not good-looking but has a lot of hidden treasures, is really eye-opening. It is not only a wonderful gift of nature, but also a treasure hidden in the mountains and forests, waiting for us to discover and taste. It is hoped that through artificial breeding, seedless or seedless varieties can be cultivated, so that August melons can go out of the mountains and forests and into more people's fruit lists.
So, would you like to give it a try?
Resources
[1] Royal Horticultural Society.Holboellia latifolia
.https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/8777/holboellia-latifolia/details
[2] Shanghai Botanical Garden. In August, the words "August melon" https://www.shbg.org/sites/zhiwuyuan/InfoContent.aspx?ctgId=22ea9dc1-52f2-47fa-9c81-bf65eb9d313a&infoId=32d89869-a8c6-4ff5-830e-1070641bb10b
[3] Wang Guolong, Fan Yu, Liu Qingyin, et al. DETERMINATION OF MAIN NUTRIENT CONTENT OF MELON FRUIT IN AUGUST[J].HUBEI AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION, 2008.DOI:CNKI:SUN:HBJH.0.2008-05-024.
[4] Tang Chenglin, Yang Bin, Tao Guangcan, et al. Analysis and evaluation of nutrient composition of August melon fruit[J].Science and Technology of Food Industry, 2021, 42(3):5.)
[5] Zhong Weimin, Ma Yuhua. Guizhou Agricultural Sciences, 2015, 43(1):3.DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-3601.2015.01.036.
[6] Li Jinguang, Li Jiarui. Guangxi Botanical Journal, 1991, 11(2):189-192.
[7] Liu Lunpei, Qian Zengxiu. Determination of Main Nutrient Contents in Trifolium Trifolium[J]. Journal of Qiandongnan Normal College for Nationalities,2002,20(6):39-41.] DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1673-9329.2002.06.015.
Planning and production
Author丨Li Chun is a registered dietitian
Audit丨Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center
Planning丨Wang Mengru
Editor-in-charge丨Wang Mengru
Reviewer丨Xu Lai Linlin