Melon

About

This category covers cantaloupe, Galia, Charentais, and honeydew melons; watermelon is classified separately. All become sweet when ripe and share a base melon flavor, with variation mainly in intensity and secondary notes of fruitiness (pear, banana), floral character, or sulfur. Cantaloupe tends toward a strong, floral flavor, while Galia is notably sweet with a cucumber-like edge and sometimes a faint glue-like note. Melon mixes well with other fruit, though its high water content limits the number of classic savory flavor pairings.

Pairs well with melon

• CiOrangeCharentais melon is sometimes flambéed in orange liqueur and served over dark chocolate tagliatelle, or simply drizzled with an orange…
• WoAlmondMelon sometimes replaces grapes as the garnish for the cold Spanish soup ajo blanco, though its texture is softer and less crisp than a…
• CiGingerGinger and melon were traditionally paired on the folk theory that ginger's warmth would counteract melon's supposed chilling effect on…
• BeMintMint pairs especially well with melon.
• GrAniseMelon has long been served doused with spirits, port, cassis and champagne were traditional choices.
• GrCucumberCucumber and melon, especially the Galia variety, share green, grassy flavor notes.
• FrStrawberryMelon fritters with strawberry sauce are a known French pairing, though melon's flavor tends to survive deep-frying better than its…
• FrGrapeGrape's plain, crisp flavor contrasts nicely with melon's tropical, faintly alkaline fruitiness, and the textures, melon's soft graininess…
• BrProsciuttoDuring curing, prosciutto's fats break down into volatile compounds that partly resemble melon's aroma, which helps explain why the two…
• FfRoseA fruity variation on the Indian dessert gulab jamun can be made by scooping balls from a ripe, floral cantaloupe and steeping them in a…
• FrWatermelonWatermelon belongs to the same family as cantaloupe, honeydew and Galia melons but sits in a different genus, and lacks the fruity esters…