You say summer you say Watermelon. Sweet, juicy, refreshing, a concentrate of vitamins, watermelon has been appreciated by men since time immemorial for its thirst-quenching properties. Originally from Africa, we find the first official record of its cultivation in some hieroglyphics in Ancient Egypt almost 5000 years ago. The fruit that Egyptian mythology traced back to the seed of the god Seth was often laid in the tombs of the pharaohs as a means of sustenance for the afterlife. Due to its shape and its flavor in the collective imagination it was a ball with which the Gods played. It is even mentioned in the Bible where it is written that the Jews in the Sinai desert regretted the watermelons eaten in Egypt.
Many centuries later, we are in the tenth century AD, the watermelon appears, cultivated, in China. We will have to wait for the thirteenth century to register his arrival in Europe Following the invasion of the Moors. Enters the history of art as a protagonist in a painting by Giovanni Stanchi, known as Dei Fiori, appreciated author of still lifes in seventeenth-century Baroque Rome and in a still life by the Flemish Abraham Brueghel, has the honor of being depicted even by Caravaggio and later by Matisse, and more recently by Botero. In literature, Daniel Wallace conquers, the author of Big Fish (from which the homonymous film with Albert Finney and Jessica Lange was made), who entitled his second novel, The King of the watermelons in a small town in Alabama, “ watermelon capital of the world. Not to mention Mark Twain who called it "a gift from the lord". He also lands on the big screen with The Taste of Watermelon, a Taiwanese film released in Italy at the end of 2005 and awarded a Silver Bear at the last Berlin Film Festival. And in music it becomes the leitmotif of a popular hit song for children. But above all in August he rages on the beaches, where there are countless Watermelon Parties and in deserted cities crushed by the summer heat where he represents one of the few moments of consolation for those who haven't gone on vacation.
A fed scientific literature has long underlined the high nutraceutical value of watermelon for the interesting content in micronutrients and phytocompounds of health interest. The chemical composition of watermelon rich in potassium (280) mg, Vitamin C (8 mg), Vitamin A (37μg), Vitamin E (0.06 mg), Vitamin B6 (0.08 mg), Calcium (7 mg), Vegetable protein (0.4 g), Iron (0.2 mg), Sodium (3 mg), Phosphorus (2 mg) reveals a fruit overall poor in macronutrients thus endorsing the common belief of its low nutritional value. Among the micronutrients, only a high content of vitamin A and potassium is highlighted, to the point that a portion of 100 g of watermelon alone satisfies 7,5% of the daily requirement of an adult for both potassium and vitamin A. of vitamin A is a priority for the integrity of biological tissues and the contribution of potassium is functional to the conduction of nerve impulses and the water exchange of body fluids.
In recent years, the attention of the scientific world has been directed towards the content of some phytocompounds essential for the bioregulatory effect they exert on human health. In watermelon in particular, the content in is very interesting polyphenols (62.15 – 116 mg GAE Kg-1 fresh weight) e carotenoids and within the latter group, lycopene predominates, which alone constitutes 80 to 95% of the total carotenoids. Carotenoids within the plant cell play not only a supportive role in chlorophyll photosynthesis, but also protection of cellular structures from oxidative damage thanks to the high number of conjugated double bonds within the molecule.
King of summer but why not appreciate its qualities also in the other months of the year? This is what RED taste proposes: Rural – Excellent – Different, a project to valorise the Pontine watermelon, included in the list of Traditional Agri-food Products recognized by the Italian Republic with a Decree of the Minister of Agricultural, Food, Forestry and Tourism Policies, promoted by the Latina Ortaggi Cooperative, which throughout the summer until 14 September will allow you to discover all the properties of the fruit with the aim of making the product attractive from a gastronomic point of view deseasonalizing its consumption with the involvement of the processing industry, but above all to show the strong identity connotation and the positive economic impact that the Pontine watermelon PGI could produce in terms of turnover for the entire sector, currently attested at one hundred million euros.
The Pontine coast extends from the municipality of Nettuno to the town of Sperlonga; it is characterized by a medium sandy texture of its territory due to the formation of a large dune formed in the Quartenary period and which gave rise to the entire plain behind it due to the contribution of organic matter and silt from the nearby anti-Apennines. Behind the dune cordon there are very fertile areas left over from the reclamation operations of the pre-war twenty years. The south-easterly winds and the mild temperatures create a sub-arid microclimate that is very suitable for watermelon cultivation. An interesting prospect of expanding the demand for watermelons can come from the catering industry since the use of intermediate temperatures (74°C) and the combination with lipid matrices that increase and enhance the intake of lycopene could in the near future disengage watermelon from exclusive consumption as a summer fruit.
Precisely from this perspective, RED taste: Rural – Excellent – Different (and the claim already encapsulates the objective of the initiative) is planning seven gourmet appointments set up in the most beautiful restaurants on the coast and in the Lazio hinterland where you can try out new flavor combinations with the Chefs: Simone Nardoni of Essenza in Terracina, Fabio Boots of Symposium at the Corso in Sermoneta), Luigi and Oreste of Bottega Sarr a, Terracina (July 26), Francesco Fugaro of Pan Di Via Frontemare in Lido di Latina (August 2) , Gianluca Nalli of Incontramare in San Felice Circeo (August 30) and Davide De Luca of Eea, in Ponza (September 14).
The project that we now want to carry on intends to promote the consumption of Cocomero Pontino PAT and, at the same time, wants to stimulate the manufacturing companies to start a synergistic work in the establishment of a Promoting Committee of Cocomero Pontino PGI useful for the affirmation of new market economies and for obtaining the Community recognition of Protected Geographical Indication
In the Province of Latina, around 4.500 hectares are currently involved in crops, which means that one watermelon out of four of those distributed in Italy is produced locally. Commercial availability is from early May to mid-September, sometimes even beyond. The district employs around 4.000 people, 70 agricultural cooperatives and ancillary business of 100 million euros.
