My children have been hankering for watermelon (pastèque) and were thrilled when I lugged home the season's first specimen. It cost 1.85 euros (about $2.30) a kilo and weighed 7 kilos. My daughters, who had learned to love this fruit in the USA, assured me it was worth every centime.
The French don't eat watermelon that much, and almost all of what we buy comes from Spain. In fact, you can compare the best American watermelon site and the best web information about pastèque above. There's a definite difference.
There even seems to be some suspicion in France surrounding the fruit: the above fact sheet from Saveurs du Monde warns us not to associate watermelon with other foods because of potential digestive problems. So much for using it to dress up fruit salad.
In fact, in France watermelon is most often used to make jam. I have never made any myself, but have bought and tasted some delicious versions. If you want to try it out, here are two recipes, one in English and one in French.
(photo courtesy Thierry Jouanneteau)
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