Summer is here, and that means watermelons! Whether you’re hosting a banging backyard BBQ or chilling poolside, crisp and juicy watermelons are the perfect party refreshers. To celebrate the return of everyone’s favorite melon-scented Cocofloss, we found a bunch of juicy facts to totally blow your rind:
1. Watermelons are part of the Cucurbitaceae (aka gourd) plant family, making them a dual citizen when it comes to classification. Watermelons contain seeds and lots of fructose, so they’re fruit in the eyes of the culinary world. But the USDA has declared the melon and its other gourd family members — pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers — vegetables.
2. The fruit-or-vegetable debate was a wedge issue in Oklahoma. The seeds of discontent were first sewn in 2007, when the state designated the watermelon its official vegetable (the strawberry already held the title for state fruit). In 2015, state Senator Nathan Dahm tried to remove that title on the argument that watermelons are fruit, but his bill died in committee.
3. Some watermelons are downright massive. Grown in Sevierville, Tennessee, the world’s reigning watermelon heavyweight champion tipped the scales at a whopping 350.5 pounds in 2013.
4. Watermelons originally were white with hollow pink circles in their center. Hundreds of years of domestication have turned them into the fleshy red fruit we love munching on today.
5. Though considered an iconic part of the American summer, the first recorded watermelon harvest took place in Egypt, nearly 5,000 years ago. (Maybe The Bangles should’ve sung “Snack like an Egyptian.”)
6. Water-what? The word “watermelon” first appeared in an English dictionary in 1615.
7. It’s okay to eat the seeds — or not. Watermelon seeds are edible and perfectly harmless; but thanks to nature and humans messing with the melons, 85% of watermelons sold in the U.S. today are seedless.
8. Actually, the entire thing is edible! Popular in Southern states, pickled watermelon rinds are often homemade and eaten as a side with meat or on their own.
9. People have been pickling the rinds for a loooong time. American Cookery, the first cookbook ever published in the U.S., in 1796, includes a recipe for pickled watermelon rinds.
10. At 92% water content, the seasonal snack is the lowest calorie fruit. Hurrah!
11. It’s hip — and profitable! — to be square. Farmers in Japan have perfected the art of the square watermelon by growing the fruit inside boxes. Easier to cut and transport, the novelty shapes are also money-makers, often selling for over $100.
12. They’re a sunbathing fruit. Florida, Texas, California, Georgia, and Arizona are the top watermelon-growing states, and the U.S. ranks 7th in worldwide watermelon production.
13. Growing nearly 80 million tons of watermelon every year, China is the world’s top producer of the juicy fruit. The country grows 20 times as much of the stuff as Turkey, which comes in second.
14. Tigers may not be able to change their stripes but watermelons can totally ditch theirs. With more than 1,200 varieties grown in 96 different countries, watermelons come in a surprising variety of colors and patterns, including stripeless rinds, yellow rinds, golden flesh, and green rinds speckled with lemon-colored dots.
15. In 2019, 745 people in Water Valley, Mississippi, raced to gobble up chunks of the juicy gourd the fastest at the town’s the 50th annual Watermelon Carnival. The competition went down in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest-ever watermelon eating contest.
16. The beloved summer treat is worth billions. Watermelon sales topped $1.5 billion in 2017, with the majority sold between the months of May and August.
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Enjoy the season’s most refreshing fruit anytime and anywhere with limited-edition Watermelon Cocofloss. It’s gently cleansing texture and fresh, clean scent will make your chompers shine.
