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By Talia Ogliore
Melons produce many seeds, making the melon shape a traditional symbol of fertility and prosperity in Chinese culture. But the historical debate about how melons made their way to modern tables is as long and twisted as the vines they grow on.
A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals newly discovered aspects of melons’ ancient history. Based on an analysis of the ancient DNA of seeds from a Song imperial dynasty archaeological site in southeastern China (circa 960-1279), scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have determined those ancient melons belong to the East Asian ‘agrestis’ lineage likely arrived from South Asia originally, although an independent Chinese domestication event cannot be ruled out. Those ancient melons lacked the sweetness of modern dessert melons, indicating a distinct East Asian culinary tradition.
These melons’ flesh color likely resonated with Song dynasty aesthetic sensibilities, as seen in jade-green celadon ceramics that were locally crafted in melon-shaped forms.
