WHAT DO the Mangalore cucumber from Karnataka, the Madras cucumber from Tamil Nadu, Malabar cucumber from Kerala, and the yellow cucumber from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have in common? The answer, you may think, is fairly obvious― they are all just different varieties of cucumber found in the southern states. But their names belie an important fact-they are not different cucumbers at all, but rather a single type of melon, called culinary melon.
Unlike the sweet melon that we consume as a fruit, culinary melon or Cucumis melo variety acidulus is slightly sour and feels and tastes just like a gourd when cooked. The fruit is found in all southern states, where it differs not just by name but also by appearance, according to a 2022 book, Culinary Melons of South India. In Karnataka, the Mangalore cucumber or southehayi is ovate to oblate in shape, weighs up to 1.5 kg and has a green rind, sometimes patchy or striped. In Kerala (where it is also called vellarikka) and Tamil Nadu, the melon has yellow skin and weighs 1-1.5 kg. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the fruit called dosakaya is small and globular, weighing just 0.5 kg, and has a yellow rind with patches.
Bu hikaye Down To Earth dergisinin October 16, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Down To Earth dergisinin October 16, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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THE GREAT FARM HUSTLE
Agroforestry is fast emerging as a win-win strategy to mitigate climate change and improve farmers' income. It is particularly so in India, home to one-fifth of the agroforestry carbon projects in the world. Over the past months ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY has travelled to almost 20 villages across the country to understand how this market works. At all locations, she finds that communities and their land and labour are central to the projects. But they do not always benefit from the carbon revenue
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Ensure that farmers benefit from the carbon revenue and stay protected against market failure
Urban trap
Fearing loss of autonomy and access to government schemes, several villages across India are protesting against the decision to change their status to town
Dubious distinction
How Madhya Pradesh displaced Punjab as the country's leading state in stubble burning
TRADE TENSIONS
Why the benefits of agroforestry carbon trade do not trickle down to farmers
A fantastical lens
BIOPECULIARIS A LAUDABLE ATTEMPT TO CARVE A SPACE FOR SPECULATIVE CLIMATE FICTION WITHIN INDIAN LITERATURE. WHILE THE STORIES MAY NOT ALWAYS HIT THEIR MARK, THE ANTHOLOGY IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN A GENRE THAT DESERVES MORE ATTENTION
Help on hold
US' decision to pause foreign aid could lead to hunger deaths, ruin economies of nations across Africa
Irrigation by snow
Declining rain and snowfall make farmers collect snow from higher altitudes to water their apple crops
Stem the rot
A fungal disease has hit the most widely sown sugarcane variety in Uttar Pradesh, threatening the country's sugar production
The mythos of ancient India's scientific excellence
Policymakers are obsessed by a fuddled idea of resurrecting a glorious civilisational past, and even IITs have fallen in line
