Melons from Brazil: a world of flavor and pleasure.
How to choose
When buying melons, prefer those with a firm
rind, characteristic color, and devoid of cracks,
soft parts or insect perforations.
The aroma of the fruit should be delicate and
pleasant.
Cantaloupe Melons
Round fruit with a beige skin with a web pattern
and orange pulp
Choose fruit with no evidence of a stem. The web
pattern should really stand out on the
rind.
Yellow Melon (Valenciano)
Rounded fruit, with a wrinkly rind, of an intense
yellow color; white, slightly greenish
and juicy pulp. When
ripe, it should yield slightly to the
touch near the end. The pulp should not be dry and the
seeds should
come off easily.
Galia
Round fruit, with a greenish gold rind and a green
web pattern. Greenish white pulp,
juicy and sweet. When ripe, Galia melons are shiny, with
a yellow
rind and a characteristic aroma.
Pele de Sapo (“Toad Skin”)
Elongated and oval fruit, with a dark green rind
and greenish white pulp.
Orange Flesh
Rounded fruit, with a smooth whitish rind and orange
pulp. When they are ripe,
the pulp is juicy with a delicate flavor, whereas the
rind acquires a pale orange
hue.
It is important to recognize some of the characteristics
in order to better identify
the varieties and choose the fruit properly.
For your protection, regardless
of the type of melon, only buy products that are
duly labeled with brand seals and their origin, and that
allow you to identify the
type of product, its origin
and its exporters and importers.
Labels are a privileged means
of communicating the properties of the product to the consumer,
as well as its origin.
If you buy pre-packaged fruit,
read the instructions and
the product’s sell-by
date carefully.
How to Handle
Handle any type of melon with care, because, alike
any other fruit, it is sensitive to being knocked.
Before eating it, wash the fruit
in running water with
care. If necessary,
wash the surface with a soft sponge, but never
use detergents or bleaches.
Do not assume that pre-packaged
fruit is ready for immediate consumption. Make sure the
fruit
has been well washed.
Otherwise, wash it again.
How to store and keep in good condition
Generally speaking, fruit that is not fully ripe should
be kept at room
temperature and ripe fruit should be kept in the
refrigerator.
Long life unripe
melons such as
the yellow variety,
orange flesh and “pele de sapo” can last as much
as one week if kept in fruit bowls, in a cool and well-aired
place, away from the sun and wrapped in the right kind
of paper. After this time, if they are not promptly consumed,
they should be kept in a refrigerator at a temperature
ranging from 7.2 to 10 °C,
for no longer than
seven days.
Ripe melons that
will not be consumed
on the same day
should be stored
as explained above.
Keep unripe cantaloupes
at room temperature,
preferably wrapped
in paper. Once
they are ripe,
consume immediately
or transfer to
the refrigerator.
Ripe cantaloupe
melons, if they
are not consumed
immediately, should
be stored in the
refrigerator at
a temperature
of 2 to 4°C,
preferably in a
plastic wrap, because
they can easily
absorb the smell
of the other foodstuffs
next to them. The
fruit should be
consumed in less
than one week,
so as not to lose
its high nutritional
value.
