The watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) originated in Africa, where tribes in arid areas used it as an emergency water source.
Since the spread of the species around the globe, much breeding has taken place to improve the eating quality and yield, and to provide different sizes for individual preferences and markets.
In addition, pink-, orange- and yellow-fleshed varieties are now available, but these have not been well accepted in South Africa.
In most parts of the world, the trend has been towards smaller fruits, possibly for the convenience of fitting them into a refrigerator. These are referred to as ‘icebox types’. They mature earlier, enabling the farmer to get them onto the market sooner and so obtain a higher price.
Many supermarkets cut the large fruit into smaller sizes for convenience. This has the added advantage of allowing the customer to see the quality of the flesh, reducing the risk of getting an over- or under-ripe fruit. (The cut fruit has a shorter shelf life, so should be wrapped in cling film and refrigerated.)
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