Watermelon has been popular throughout the world, beginning with the Egyptians more than 5,000 years ago It is said that explorer David Livingstone found watermelon vines in the Kalahari Desert in the 1850s Many historians theorize that watermelons could also have originated in the U S , since French explorers found Native Americans growing watermelons in the Mississippi Valley According to a number of sources, watermelon ripeness is primarily determined by three things: the fruit feels heavy for its size, its skin has a healthy sheen, and the underside of the fruit (where it sat on the ground) has turned a pale, buttery yellow Look for watermelons that are symmetrical and free of bruises, cuts, and dents
A watermelon is a large round fruit with green skin, pink flesh, and black seeds. Succulent fruit of Citrullus lanatus (formerly C. vulgaris), in the gourd family, native to tropical Africa and cultivated on every continent except Antarctica. The vines spread across the ground with branched tendrils, deeply cut leaves, and light-yellow flowers. Each vine bears 2-15 large, reddish, white, or yellow, sweet, very juicy fruits with flat black seeds. Varieties differ in flesh color, shape, and rind thickness. The rind may be preserved as a pickle
Originally from Africa, this melon has a sweet, moist red flesh Asians roast the seeds, and pickled watermelon rind is popular in some parts of the world If slapping the watermelon returns a resounding hollow thump, it is ripe