Melon (Sic) Workshop

Melon is a name given to various members of the plant family cucurbitaceae with sweet flavored, fleshy fruit. Melon can refer to the plant of the fruit. The plant grows as a vine. Although the melon is a fruit, some varieties may be considered "culinary vegetables."

Humankind has been eating melons for more than 4,000 years. Surprisingly, melons have never been found growing in the wild—other than escapees from someone's garden. Melons are believed to have originated in the hot valleys of southwest Asia—specifically Iran (Persia) and Indai. Early American settlers grew cultivars of honeydew and casaba melons back in 1600s. Yet, only in recent times, many more varieties are available, often out of season in grocery stores.

The word melon derives from Latin (melopepo) which is the latinization of the Greek (mēlopepon). The first documented use of the word "melon" was about 1395. John Ayto's Dictionary of Word Orgins suggests that the word is derived from Melos (the Greek Cyclades Islands, best known for the venus de Milo). Melons wend their way into literature. According to one hadith, Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said: "Whenever you eat fruit, eat melon, because it is the fruit of Paradise and contains a thousand blessings and a thousand mercies. The eating of it cures every disease." — excerpted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melon