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It is one of the kings of summer in Portugal. Who hasn’t ended their summer meal with a slice of fresh sweet melon from the fridge? Or even who has never started a meal with the mythical melon and ham appetizer? When it’s about feeding beach day or a family picnic, there it is, whole cut into pieces or already diced in boxes. No one can resist this, but what is the secret of melon, this fruit that is so adored and grown in Portugal?

One of the great benefits of melon summer fruits is its high water content – in hot weather, when dehydration can occur more easily, water consumption in any form is welcome. Melon is also a fruit that is low in energy and rich in fiber, which helps you feel full without adding too many calories to your meal. Among the vitamins included in its composition, we highlight vitamin C, known for its antioxidant effect and role in the immune system, and vitamin A, which is important for skin and vision health.

meet healthy and hydrating food!

Aside from the nutritional considerations, it helps that it is during the hot season that the melon is at the optimum point for picking and eating—incredibly sweet and juicy, melting into juice with every bite. The ideal time is from June to September, in exceptional years until October. It is very important to observe the time of its maturation in order to get the best taste. It was one of the reasons we launched fresh compal now and not before. It is only now that the melon from which this juice is made has reached perfect ripeness, and therefore in every bottle we have the unmistakable taste of the sweetest Portuguese melon.

It is the national melon that we are talking about when we talk about Compal Fresco Melão, juice without added water or any sweeteners, for a simple reason: Portuguese producers grow some of the most interesting varieties of this fruit, growing on a herbaceous and trailing plant. Here are some of the melon varieties that grow in Portugal:

Oak melon bark – Unlike others, the skin of the oak bark is not smooth. It is rough and abrasive, which testifies to its special personality, which also manifests itself in the pulp. It is not as sweet as, for example, Branco do Ribatejo, and has a special characteristic – a certain sharpness in the mouth, which is due to the production of carbon dioxide.

This flatulence (in an exaggerated form) is actually the cause of a curious phenomenon: some melons burst at or before harvest time. When the explosion occurs before the highest point of ripening, it is a loss for the farmer; but when it occurs at harvest time, it is the mark of an ideal oak bark melon.

Casca de Carvalho is traditionally Portuguese, but it is not a stabilized variety of melon, meaning that there are variations or subspecies, as is the case with the Vilariça melon, which gives salmon-pink flesh to a green and rough skin.

Almeirim Melon – When you eat melon in one of the major national cities, it is likely that you are eating melon produced in Ribatejo, a large region of production of this fruit, where this variety grows like nowhere else. Among the varieties produced in Ribatejo, the Almeirim melon is a locally improved variety with a green and very rough skin, but with some interesting details. For example, the sun can damage this melon to the point of losing commercial value, and to avoid this, farmers cover the melon with straw.

yellow melon – And the so-called “guard melon” can be a salvation for those who live by cravings for this fruit, even in hot weather. This is a late variety, which means it can be stored until December and can be eaten at Christmas! The area of ​​Amareleha is ideal for growing melons because the ideal time for the fruits to ripen is hot. Its skin is yellow, almost white, smooth or not very wrinkled, and the heat in which it grows gives its flesh a delightful sweetness. The ideal time to harvest is determined by the change in skin color to white and a certain elasticity of the skin near the stalk, the “stem” where the melon grows.

Campo Mayor Melon or Elvas – It has a smooth green skin and yellowish or whitish flesh. It hangs in a kind of straw bag in a cool and dark place, and in this way its fresh and delicate fragrance can last until Christmas, when it is highly prized in this region. It is in fact the prized fruit of the families in the area, who for many years derived a significant portion of their income from growing melons.

It is clear that with such fragrant, sweet, refreshing and even beautiful varieties, the Iberian Peninsula was one of the great centers of diversity for melons after they originated in Central Africa. The Arabs brought it here: in the Middle Ages, Portugal and Spain became the only consumers (and producers) of melon in Europe. A good food habit of the Portuguese, which has been preserved to this day.

Learn more about birth fresh compal!

Sources:
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APN – Sustainable Development
APN – Spoon Knowledge
Traditional Portuguese Products – Melão da Vilarica
Traditional Portuguese products – melon oak bark
Traditional Portuguese products are melons from Campo Mayor and Elvas.
Traditional Portuguese Products – Melão da Amareleja

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