Watermelon: how to use the flesh, seeds and rind

Partager

0

Watermelon is more than a slice on a hot afternoon. Its flesh is almost all water, its seeds have a long history in home infusions, and its pale rind turns into jam or a face scrub. This page sets out what the fruit actually contains, what herbalism and folk tradition credit it with, and how to use each part tonight.

• Read also: how to grow watermelon

A fruit with 5,000 years behind it

• Native to Africa, in the Nile valley, where wild forms grew long before cultivation.
• Domesticated one generation at a time, with sweeter specimens kept for seed.
• Greeks and Romans prized it, often above melon.
• It reached Spain in the IX^th century, then the rest of Europe, then the Americas.
• Egyptian farmers handed watermelons to travellers to refresh them on the road; in Vietnam the seeds were a wedding gift, a token of fertility.
• Known as pastèque, cocomero, karpuz or melancia, depending where you are standing.

What it is credited with

• Rehydration in hot weather — naturopathy treats watery fruit like watermelon as an easy way to top up fluids when the heat is heavy and appetite is low.
• A gentle diuretic reputation — folk practice across the Mediterranean and North Africa has long used watermelon flesh and seed infusions as a “water-shifting” food, drunk when the body feels puffy and sluggish.
• Cramping and tired muscles — the fruit’s potassium content is why herbalists often suggest it after sport or a sweaty day, traditionally for heaviness and cramping in the legs.
• Comfortable digestion — in traditional home use, cool watermelon was eaten to settle burning after a heavy meal and to ease a bloated, gassy feeling.
• Kidney and urinary tradition — old herbals list watermelon seed tea among the “cleansing” drinks taken as part of a spring or summer routine; it also appears in folk deworming recipes.
• Skin and sun — cosmetic herbalism values lycopene-rich foods for skin exposed to strong sun, and uses watermelon juice as a toner.
• Light eating — with very few calories, no cholesterol and a lot of water, it has a reputation among naturopaths as a satisfying end to a meal for those eating lightly.
• Seeds as a tonic food — traditional use credits the seeds with a mild laxative and soothing action, and they appear in folk “memory food” mixes alongside other seeds and nuts.
• Rind against skin fungus — country remedies rubbed the wet rind on itchy patches of skin, a use still repeated in home cosmetics.

How to use it

Eaten fresh

• Serve chilled but not frozen, in wedges or cubes, as a starter or dessert.
• Cube it into fruit salad, or into a savoury salad with feta, cucumber, mint and black pepper.
• Best eaten on its own or at the end of a meal if rich food sits heavily with you.

Juice and smoothie

• Remove the rind, chop the flesh, blend, and strain if you want it clear.
• Finish with lemon juice and a few mint leaves; drink within the day and keep it in the fridge no longer than 24 hours.
• Smoothie: blend a quarter of a watermelon with a handful of strawberries, the juice of one lemon and a glass of sparkling water.
• Cold soup: blend flesh with cucumber, a splash of vinegar and basil, and chill before serving.

Seed infusion

• Crush the dried seeds roughly in a mortar.
• Add a spoonful or two to a pan of water, simmer briefly, then leave to stand off the heat until just warm.
• Strain out the seed debris and drink warm, traditionally one cup a day for a few days at a time rather than continuously.
• Taste: nutty, faintly bitter, better with a slice of lemon.

Seeds in cooking

• Rinse, dry, then toast in a dry pan or a hot oven until they crack and smell nutty.
• Salt them while warm and scatter over salads, soups or yoghurt.

Rind

• Jam: cook the peeled rind with half its weight in sugar and a little water in the bottom of the pan, adding grated lemon zest near the end.
• Flesh jam: use ‘Gingerine’, the cooking watermelon.
• Pickles: the white rind takes vinegar, sugar and spice well.

Skin and hair (external use)

• Rind rub: pass the moist inner rind over the skin, leave a moment, rinse. The same tip is used on oily, spot-prone skin.
• Toner: cotton pad dipped in fresh juice, swept over the face to lift excess sebum and tighten the look of pores.
• Scrub: mash the white part of the rind, mix in a tablespoon of cottage cheese, thicken with flour, apply to the face, rinse.
• Seed oil: pressed from the seeds, used as a light moisturiser and a hair conditioner.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: eat the flesh chilled and generously in hot weather, save the seeds for toasting or an occasional infusion, and keep the white rind for jam or a skin rub.

Can you actually eat watermelon seeds?

Yes. Rinse and dry them, then toast them in a dry pan or hot oven until nutty and salt them while warm. They make a savoury topping for salads and soups. Crushed and simmered, they also make the seed infusion used in folk practice.

What is watermelon seed tea traditionally taken for?

Old herbals place it among the “cleansing” summer drinks, taken with the kidneys and urinary tract in mind. Crush a spoonful of dried seeds, simmer briefly in water, strain and drink warm. Tradition uses it as a short course of a few days rather than an everyday habit.

Is watermelon fine during pregnancy?

Watermelon is not traditionally contraindicated for pregnant women, and it is widely eaten as a hot-weather fruit. Stick to ordinary food portions, avoid seed infusions and cleansing cures, and check with your midwife or doctor if you have any doubt.

What can I do with the rind instead of throwing it away?

The white inner rind cooks into jam with half its weight in sugar and some lemon zest, and it pickles well with vinegar and spice. Cosmetically, the moist rind is rubbed on itchy or oily skin and rinsed off, or mashed with cottage cheese and flour as a face scrub. Patch-test first.

When is watermelon at its best?

It is sown in late spring and harvested from midsummer to late summer, which is exactly when you want it. Choose the heaviest fruit of its size for the most juice, and keep it whole at room temperature until you cut it.

• Read also: how to grow watermelon

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.