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When you bite into a piece of sweet, juicy watermelon, you’d be surprised to know that in its early days, thousands of years ago, it was bitter and unpleasant.
The flesh was not red or yellow, but pale green, with even more seeds than the seediest watermelons of modern time.
But they were cultivated for one reason: the water inside, which quenched thirst in low-water areas of Africa, where they originated.
Watermelon seeds have been excavated in a 5,000-year-old site in southwest Libya.
Watermelon remnants from 1500 B.C.E. have been discovered in the foundational deposits beneath the walls of a Sudanese temple.
Archeologists have also found seeds and paintings of various species of watermelon in ancient Egyptian tombs dating back some 4,000 years ago. The species include wild watermelons plus the cultivated predecessors modern watermelons [source].
July is National Watermelon Month; August 3rd is National Watermelon Day.
> Here’s more on the history of watermelon.
> There are 20+ more watermelon recipes below—food and cocktails.
RECIPE: WATERMELON, FETA & KALAMATA SALAD
Watermelon and feta or goat cheese is a scrumptious combination, whether for casual salads or fancy appetizers.
Personally, we’ve never seen a watermelon and feta salad on a restaurant menu. Why not?
Watermelon and feta are a scrumptious combination. Add arugula, basil, or any salad green that calls to you: avocado, beet, bell peppers, cilantro, ciliegine (small mozzarella balls), chili pepper, cucumbers, fruits, mint, parsley, spinach, tomato, watercress.
Or make a fruit salad with berries, mango, and/or stone fruits.
Dress simply with olive oil and lime juice, or white balsamic vinegar.
You can use feta or mozzarella as well as blue cheese, as in these recipes:
Watermelon Salad With Feta Or Goat Cheese
Watermelon Salad With Thai Basil, Feta Or Goat Cheese
Ingredients
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons lime juice
4 pounds watermelon (about 1/4 of melon) cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
Zest of the lime
1/2 cup fresh chopped mint
Balsamic glaze, for drizzling (substitute balsamic vinegar—note that you make balsamic glaze by boiling the vinegar down to a syrupy stage)
Preparation
1. PLACE the sliced onions in a small bowl with the lime juice. Let them rest for 10 minutes so the acid of the lime mellows the flavor of the raw onion.
2. COMBINE the watermelon cubes and feta cheese in a large bowl, with kalamata olives and onions, with the lime zest and mint. If needed, add more lime juice.
MORE WATERMELON RECIPES
Breakfast Banana Split With Scoops Of Watermelon
Fruit Salad In A Watermelon Boat
Grilled Watermelon Steaks With Walnut Gremolata
Savory Watermelon Recipes
Watermelon Caprese Salads
Spicy Watermelon Relish
Watermelon Dessert Recipes
Watermelon Granita
Watermelon, Tomato & Burrata Salad
Watermelon Turkey Centerpiece For Thanksgiving
Yes, More Watermelon Recipes
WATERMELON BEVERAGES & COCKTAILS
Homemade Watermelon Juice
Watermelon Mint Lemonade
Salted Watermelon Milkshake
Watermelon & Basil “Tequila Martini”
Watermelon & Gin “Electrolyte” Cocktail
Watermelon Gin Martini
Watermelon Keg Tap With Watermelon Agua Fresca
Watermelon Martini & Five More Watermelon Cocktails
Cocktails: Watermelon Martini & Other Watermelon Cocktails
Cocktail: Watermelon Fizz
PLUS
Watermelon Nutrition
Watermelon Tips: Buying & Storing
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[1] Watermelon, feta and kalamata olives combine deliciously in a salad (photo and recipe © DeLallo).
[XXXX] Watermelon Arugula Salad With Feta (photo © Between The Bread).
[3] Watermelon and strawberry salad with goat cheese and mint (photo © Murray’s).
[4] Tequila Watermelon Ice Pops. Here’s the recipe from Love & Olive Oil (photo © Love & Olive Oil).
[5] How about a Watermelon Margarita? Here are watermelon cocktail recipes (photo © Wondermelon | Facebook).
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