International holidays - Watermelon Day

In Russia and other countries of the world, August 3 is celebrated as Watermelon Day This large, sweet berry quenches thirst well, has a balanced taste and low calorie content The last month of summer is the time to harvest melons, so it is not surprising that Watermelon Day is celebrated on August 3 The largest events take place in Astrakhan, Kamyshin, located in the Volgograd region, and Sol-Iletsk, 73 km from Orenburg The holiday program includes fairs where they sell not only melons, but also honey, candied fruits and other sweets made from watermelon Organizers hold competitions between farmers and amateur gardeners for the largest berries Among the events, very popular are master classes in carving - artistic carving of vegetables and fruits, competitions for the fastest eating of watermelon, etc US citizens were the first to celebrate National Watermelon Day Watermelon, like the hot dog, is a symbol of outdoor picnics, and is especially popular among Hispanics A beautiful and tasty berry turns a meal into a real celebration Many different dishes are prepared from watermelon, which is a storehouse of vitamins and microelements - they are cut into salads, boiled, pickled, and grilled The birthplace of the berry is South America From there it first came to Europe, and in the 16th century - in America Watermelon has been grown since ancient Egypt This is due to the fact that melon seeds were found in the tombs of Tutankhamun and other pharaohs The berry was also cultivated in Ancient Rome Honey was made from it, eaten fresh and salted The fruit came to China in the 10th century on trade ships arriving from the Mediterranean In the Middle Kingdom it was used for medicinal purposes The Chinese believed that the berry, eaten before meals, cleanses the body and removes diseases from the body Common people who value watermelon for its sweetness and pleasant taste are usually unaware of the following facts: • The fat and protein content in its pulp tends to zero • The record holder for growing melons is China, and the record holder for eating is the USA • Watermelon contains 92% water whereas cucumber contains 95% • The size of the dwarf berry of the "Melotria hummingbird" variety is 3-5 cm in diameter • In Japan, square and pyramidal watermelons are grown to facilitate their transportation These and other amazing facts once again confirm how little we know about one of the most popular melons The berry is known not only for its taste and beneficial composition of substances, but also for other characteristics The size of some fruits of plants of the Citrullus family is surprising Thus, the melon crop grown in 2013 in the USA is included in the Guinness Book of Records The weight of the largest watermelon in the world is 159 kg There are more than 1,200 varieties of this annual herbaceous plant, and each is unique in its own way "Ambar" has no seeds at all, and the flesh is yellow The “Moon and Stars” variety is distinguished by its unusual peel color - it has a lot of small yellow dots and one large spot, reminiscent of the Earth’s satellite The black rind of Densuke, grown on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, has no stripes, and the taste of the fruit is no different from its counterparts People love the berry not for the unusual shape and color of the peel Melon culture is valuable for its taste characteristics Therefore, everyone who likes this healthy sweet delicacy joins the international holiday on August 3 - Watermelon Day