when did watermelon come to america

Working Paper Series No. By recognizing the history of soul food as well as other foods not popularly associated with Africa [e.g., coffee, cowpea (black eyed peas)], African-Americans have the capacity to connect with their ancestors or ancestral traditions from whom they may have been torn from due to slavery. 722, 543571. Related to hibiscus (Hibiscus spp.) Alex Fox Correspondent June 2, 2021 New genetic research finds that the Kordofan melon (pictured), native to Sudan, is the watermelon's closest wild relative. doi: 10.1016/j.sajb.2011.07.004, Joubert, E., Jolley, B., Koch, I. S., Muller, M., Van der Rijst, M., and De Beer, D. (2016). The yellow watermelon has been around for a while it's an ancient variety of the popular fruit. Fossilized pollen grains of oil palm found in the Niger Delta suggest that the plant evolved in this region millions of years ago (Zeven, 1964). 29, 102116. Before the emergence of the watermelon in horticulture, wild watermelons pervaded Pan African landscapes, where dry climates have preserved the seeds, allowing us to learn about their indigenous environments (Zhang et al., 2011; Paris, 2015). Hort. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. African-Americans took the English meat pie and made it with fruit or vegetables, such as sweet potatoes. 257, 17. Watermelons were cultivated in Egypt and India as far back as 2500 B.C. (2012). Source: N. Sujana. Food Secur. By Mark StraussNational Geographic. The Life Magazine cover is a prime example of how something can appear to be uplifting and affirming, complimentary and positive, but instead contributes to the dehumanization of an entire group of people. "Watermelon is 92 percent water, so it is a great way to help meet your fluid needs while enjoying a sweet treat," says Elizabeth Somer, author of Eat Your Way to Happiness. Sci. For example, shea is part of the filire feminine, a female commodity chain, whereby the crop connects African women producers, whose livelihoods often depend on the harvest and processing of this crop, to Western women consumers, who are the main consumers of shea cosmetic products (Elias and Carney, 2007). Brazil is the world's leading producer of coffee, producing over 3.5 million tons in 2018 [Statistics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAOSTAT), 2018]. Evolutionary history of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum [L.] R. Figure 6. The low-input requirement of many of these crops is another principal reason why they should be used for sustainable agricultural development and climate change mitigation and adaptation purposes (Mabhaudhi et al., 2019). doi: 10.2752/152897999786690717. Lange, M. K. (2004). Despite the benefits of fonio, it remains an incompletely domesticated crop, with seed shattering and lower yieldsluckily, many landraces in West Africa exist based on varying maturity classes, which could prove useful for the future development of this crop (Ayenan et al., 2018). Turner, N. J., and Turner, K. L. (2007). Combined, these reports show the potential of African leafy vegetables to improve local food and nutritional security and in turn, prevent and mitigate many non-communicable diseases. Presently, two subspecies of shea trees exist, subspecies paradoxa ranging from Senegal to Central African Republic, and subspecies nilotica in Sudan and Uganda (Allal et al., 2011). (2019). Traditional uses and cultivation of indigenous watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) in Mali. Knowl. Available online at: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data (accessed June 27, 2020). Food Syst. J. Sci. Where Does The Us Get Its Watermelon? - Sweetish Hill Res. doi: 10.1007/s10722-016-0410-3, Omoigui, L. O., Kamara, A. Y., Moukoumbi, Y. D., Ogunkanmi, L. A., and Timko, M. P. (2017b). Resour. doi: 10.1111/nph.16015, Cloete, P. C., and Idsardi, E. F. (2013). Constructing a social safety net in Africa: an institutionalist analysis of colonial rule and state social policies in Ghana and Cte d'Ivoire. The specific origin of sweet, fleshy watermelon (C. lanatus) was widely debated between the northern, southern, and western regions of Africa (Nantoum et al., 2012; Chomicki and Renner, 2015; Paris, 2015; Chomicki et al., 2019). J. The paper specifically is intended to provide an understanding of the origins of domestication of these crops, their migration histories out of Africa, their contributions to nutrition, cuisine, culture and household products, their current significance to smallholder farmers and known indigenous cultivation practices. doi: 10.1007/s12571-016-0557-y, Kansiime, M. K., Ochieng, J., Kessy, R., Karanja, D., Romney, D., and Afari-Sefa, V. (2018). The crop remains wild or semi-domesticated, and yet it is argued to be the most socio-economically important crop of the dry/semi-arid region of Africa today (Tom-Dery et al., 2018). L.) Ann. You can thank enslaved Africans. Source: TREEAID. Before you write off the humble watermelon, take another look. 201, 1931. Commun. Where Did Watermelon Come From? This site requires JavaScript to function correctly. (2020). The value of shea was widely recognized by British and French colonial administrations of West Africa in the nineteenth century, leading to the start of shea exports worldwide (Carney and Elias, 2006; Elias and Carney, 2007). An important additional benefit of watermelon is its ability to suppress weeds, as it spreads along the soil surface (Adeoye et al., 2011). https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/watermelon, DAVID A. BENDER "watermelon Frankly, they're impressive-looking: Just imagine that egg yolk-yellow color being mixed into a salad, blended into a cocktail, or tossed around with chunks of red watermelon (via Southern Living). In agronomic terms, this means shifting a more significant proportion of production to crops such as cowpea and rooibos, because of their association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, as well as low-nitrogen tolerant crops like teff (Muofhe and Dakora, 1999; Akpalu et al., 2014; Assefa et al., 2015). 47, 4960. Despite the double-take you'll undoubtedly give it, the yellow watermelon is healthy, natural, sweet, and definitely worth trying this summer (via Anadolu Agency). Okra was in the New World by 1658, specifically in Brazil, and was brought and planted by slaves in Barbados by 1750, leading to its establishment in the Southern U.S. soon after (Carney, 2001a). (2017). (2003). Such investments have been challenging for Africa, perhaps because of a lack of public awareness (Nunn and Qian, 2010; Cloete and Idsardi, 2013). Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) growing in South Africa. and selection on flowering genes since its domestication. Oil palm has many edible and non-edible uses, including food industry products (salad dressings, margarine, processed foods, infant and health foods), medicinal uses, medium chain triglycerides (cosmetics and other personal care products), a substitute for polyethylene in food packaging, lubricants, and agrochemicals (used as an inert ingredient in pesticide formulations), renewable energy resources, and waste from its empty-fruit bunches as mulch and fertilizer (Basiron and Weng, 2004; Hall, 2008). in West and Central Africa: potential and progress on its improvement. This under-appreciation is particularly relevant in the current context of societal movements to end historic racism and value the contributions of peoples of African origin and African skin colors. Interestingly, indigenous practices as observed in the Tombouctou Region of Mali (West Africa) include the cultivation of multiple types of watermelon side by side in strips within the same plot so as to conserve genetic diversity (Nantoum et al., 2012). Burch, A. D. S., Cai, W., Gianordoli, G., McCarthy, M., and Patel, J. K. (2020). Medicinal values of kolanut in Nigeria: implication for extension service delivery. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0792, Kiple, K. F., and Cone Ornelas, K. (2000). Hist. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026593, Serba, D. D., and Yadav, R. S. (2016). Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. CC BY-NC 2.0. ), For over 50 years the seedless hybrids have remained one of the most popular varieties. Dev. By acknowledging and appreciating these crops, and the injustices (i.e., slavery) associated with a subset of them, there is an opportunity for reconciliation. In terms of quantity by tons, watermelon accounts for approximately 12% of total worldwide fruit production [Statistics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAOSTAT), 2018]. Forests, Trees Livelihoods 26, 1328. 8, 307329. Where did watermelon come from? Despite these genetic improvements which are of value to agricultural systems and diets around the world, 70% of global acreage dedicated to sorghum production remains situated within the African continent [Statistics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAOSTAT), 2018]. With connections to food comes the opportunity to fill in the gaps of one's own personal story of resilience through adversityand for others to recognize such resilience, including the world's current and future agricultural researchers, food scientists and international development professionals. Oil Palm (Elaeis guineesnsis). Scr. Lemons, J. S. (1977). Vall, E., Andrieu, N., Beavogui, F., and Sogodogo, D. (2011). doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.604142, Horn, L. N., Ghebrehiwot, H. M., and Shimelis, H. A. Bot. Shea has many uses around the world, including as a human food source: the pulp of shea can be consumed as it has a sweet taste due to its sugar content; it is also rich in protein, potassium, calcium, ascorbic acid, iron, and vitamin C; provides an important fat for human diets; and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties (Maranz et al., 2004; Honfo et al., 2014). The contributions of these latter enslaved peoples to the provisioning of indigenous African crops to the rest of the world are not included within the scope of this paper, but perhaps offer a future opportunity for inquiry. 43, 599619. Selection of novel cowpea genotypes derived through gamma irradiation. ." African genetic resources may be used to restore the biodiversity lost from modern crop production systems, including coffee, kola, and oil palm, which today have a narrow genetic base following generations of intensive selection (Hayati et al., 2004; Durand et al., 2015). Watermelon 2023 . (2017a). (2014). Aklamkpa') in sociolinguistic areas in Benin. With respect to cultivation practices, it is interesting (and perhaps unsurprising) to note that whereas people migrate crops, the associated indigenous knowledge is often left behind (Mabhaudhi et al., 2019; Borelli et al., 2020). By William R. Black Courtesy Brown University Library December 8, 2014. New York, NY: MacMillan. Smithsonian points out that many Southern whites reacted to this self-sufficiency by turning the fruit into a symbol of poverty. Afr. Only when digging into the history, learning about these symbols and unpacking them can they begin to lose their power. Food Syst. In North Africa, it appears that watermelon thrives on sandy, well-drained soils (Figure 2B) (Jensen et al., 2011b; Nantoum et al., 2012). Nutritionally, watermelon contributes sugars, lycopene (the phytochemical responsible for its reddish pigment), as well as arginine and glutathione, all of which promote cardiovascular health (Guo et al., 2013). Genetic diversity is an excellent thing. Don't just eat watermelon raw give it a good blast of heat to really bring out the flavors. In the 1950s, Black Diamond was a very popular home garden variety. Yam genomics supports West Africa as a major cradle of crop domestication. As of 2018, all of the world's production of kola came from Africa, with over half of Africa's production situated in Nigeria [Statistics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAOSTAT), 2018]. Characteristics of red palm oil, a carotene- and vitamin Erich refined oil for food uses. Evol. Copyright 2020 Sousa and Raizada. Opie explains that people who were bringing enslaved Africans to North America wanted to keep them alive and earn a profit. Slaves adopted cooking techniques associated with African cereals and applied them to Native American crops upon arrival. Source: S. Handa. From West Africa, guinea yams (Figure 11A), along with water yams (D. alata from the Asia-Pacific that were later cultivated in West Africa) (Arnau et al., 2017), were introduced to the Americas via large slave ship provisions, where Portuguese colonizers expected slaves to subsist on the crop for the duration of their forced migration to the New World (Carney, 2001a; Hall, 2008; Mitchell, 2009). A., et al. Technol. National Research Council (1996). Inquiring minds want to know, and now maybe they do. In fact, both their work and their skill shaped American food. The African Heritage Cookbook. (2006). Importance and practices of Egusi cops (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) 5, 17. [Then there becomes] another association.. J. Consequently, the intensification of oil palm worldwide has come at the expense of tropical forest biodiversity loss (Koh and Wilcove, 2008). These plants are increasingly being displaced, as preference for non-indigenous vegetables dominate markets, and land-clearing threatens the pervasiveness and genetic stocks of these wild greens (Jansen Van Rensburg et al., 2004; Cernansky, 2015; Vandebroek and Voeks, 2018). The way that cowpea is consumed contributes to African sociocultural identities.

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