How to Eat a Korean Melon

It is actually very easy to eat a Korean melon, because you can eat this fruit along with its seeds and skin. This Tastessence article provides information on the different ways of enjoying this sweet and delicious melon.

Korean melon, the thin-skinned sweet melon, is not only grown in Korea, but it is also grown in Japan and China. In Korea, it is mainly grown in the Seongju County in the North Gyeongsang Province. The fruit belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae and genus cucumis. It is also known as Chameh melon, Golden melon, Oriental melon, and Japanese cantaloupe. There exist several varieties of this melon. Cucumis melo L. variety makuwa is one of the popular species of Korean melon. The melon is also known as Chamoe in Korea, Huangjingua or Tian Gua in China, Cantaloup Du Japon in France, and Dura Gan in Vietnam.

Description

This oval-shaped melon has thin, edible, yellow rind. The fruit is about the size of a papaya. Deep, evenly-spaced white lines run lengthwise along the rind. The white-to-pale peach-colored flesh is juicy, sweet, and delicious. It bears a trio of seed cavities. The flavor is somewhat similar to that of a pear or honeydew melon. The tiny seeds are edible; they are not as hard as that of a watermelon. They are surrounded by a gelatin-like pulp. When ripe, Korean melons taste wonderful, but won’t give off much aroma.

Eating a Korean Melon

✦ Most people are not aware of the fact that the skin and the seeds of this melon are edible. So, they remove the seeds and serve the melon peeled.

✦ Just wash the melon thoroughly and cut it vertically.

✦ Then make small chunks and eat them. Thus, eating a Korean melon is so very easy and convenient.

✦ If you don’t like to eat the skin and the seeds, you can peel the skin and then cut the melon lengthwise down the middle. It is easy to peel the skin, as it is very thin. You can scoop out the seeds before cutting the flesh into small chunks.

Other Ways of Enjoying a Korean Melon

✦ Smoothie

The Korean melon is a highly perishable fruit. Once harvested, it should be consumed within a week. You can make a delicious Korean melon smoothie from it. Add chunks of various other melons―watermelon, honeydew melon, and fruits like pear, apple, etc.―to Korean melon chunks, and enjoy a healthy smoothie. If you want, you can add 1 – 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of lime juice to the mixture, and blend it until it is smooth. Children will enjoy this refreshing drink during those hot summer days.

✦ Unsweetened Frozen Melon

Select a firm-fleshed, ripe melon. Cut into halves. Remove the seeds and rind. Cut into small slices, cubes, or balls. If you have more melon than you can eat before it spoils, freeze it. Pack the chunks into containers, leaving head space. Seal and freeze.

✦ Sweetened Frozen Melon

You can freeze sweetened melon if you wish. Transfer the cubes into containers and pour cold 30 percent syrup over them. Leaving heads pace, seal and freeze. The syrup should not be very light or very heavy. You can make the syrup by boiling 1.75 cups of sugar in 4 cups of water. You should have 5 cups of the syrup (yield).

✦ Melon Ice Pops

Melona, the South Korean melon-flavored ice pop, manufactured by Binggrae Co. Ltd., is popular in various countries. With the help of freezer pop molds, you can make ice pops at home itself. Removing the seeds and the rind, blend the melon flesh with a pinch of salt, until smooth. Strain the liquid and add some sugar to the puree. Whisk it, and once the sugar dissolves, add some cream to the mixture. Whisk and pour this mixture into pop molds, and place them in the freezer.

✦ Pickle

The pickle made from this melon is called chamoe jangajji in Korea. This way, you can preserve the melon in another way for consumption.

✦ Melon Ice Cream

You can also make Korean melon ice cream and enjoy the flavor of chilled melon. Add 175 g caster sugar to 300 ml of double cream, and boil the mixture. Remove the rind and seeds of the melon. Put the chunks in a food processor, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and blend them. Pour the sugar and cream mixture over the fruit pulp, and blend it well. Transfer the mixture into an ice cream machine, and churn until thick and semi-frozen. Transfer this mixture to a freezer-proof container, and freeze.

Now you know how to eat a Korean melon in so many different ways. Just pick a bright-colored firm melon, and enjoy it during breakfast, or as a morning/afternoon snack. This melon is packed with essential nutrients. Instead of junk food, you can have this healthy fruit as a lovely snack.

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