Outside Turpan, part of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of far northwestern China, I tried a wonderful new melon known as Hami melon. We were visiting the ruins of Jiaohe City which was an important Silk Road site until it was destroyed by Genghis Khan in the 13th century.
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| Ruin in Jiaohe City. |
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| Extensive ruins in Jiaohe City. |
While there I noticed a stand selling melons.
The Hami melon, identified by a couple on our tour who used to live in China, looked different than any kind of melon I'd tried previously, so I ordered one and had it cut into long thin strips, then sideways into chunks, and shared it with members of our group.
Hami melon gets it name from Hami, China, in the Xinjiang Region. It is yellowish to green, looks a lot like a cantaloupe, but is oblong. It has orange flesh that looks like cantaloupe, but is crisper, more like watermelon, and is sweeter than watermelon or cantaloupe.
We had it at other venues on our trip, such as a buffet later that evening, and I would love to have it at home.
It's possible to have it at home:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tradewindsfruit.com/hami-melon-seeds