Food History

On Cavaillon melons

Summer in Provence means the serenade of cigales, vast fields of lush lavender and the scent of sweet melons. Not just any melons, however, but the world’s most ambrosial melons and the pride of Cavaillon, a town in Vaucluse situated approximately 25km southwest of Avignon.

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Revered by kings and clergy in the 14th century, these fragrant gourds find their origins in Italy and were introduced to France by the popes of Avignon around 1495. By the middle of the 19th century, they were being exported to Paris, quickly gaining fame in the rest of Europe.

Even prolific author and gourmand Alexandre Dumas (read about him here!) was so enamoured with the fragrant melons that when Cavaillon’s soon-to-be-opened library asked him to donate some of his works in 1864, he readily agreed to offer his entire oeuvre, asking only to receive twelve perfectly ripe melons delivered to him every year for the rest of his life in return. In his posthumously published Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine (1873), a 1,600-page cookbook and culinary journal, he wrote: “I repeat that I never ate anything fresher, tastier and more palatable than the melons from my annuity.”

Cavaillon melon season runs from mid-June through September and approximately 276,000 tons are cultivated annually. The annual Féria du Melon held in July is a spectacle of taste and entertainment that invites visitors to sample the melon’s succulent, bright orange flesh and features melon-related art, books, cooking demonstrations, farm tours and a remarkable grand finale with one hundred Camargue horses racing through the centre-ville.

Cavaillon melons can be found in abundance at almost every regional market. The ripest fruit is heavy with juice, so you’ll want to weigh a few before purchasing. A perfect melon will have a loose stem, often surrounded by cracks and indicating it has been freshly harvested. Cavaillon melons are best enjoyed sliced and slightly chilled (never cold!).

A classic combination served as starter (if you eat meat) is thick wedges with paper-thin slices of dry-cured ham and a drizzle of peppery olive oil. My personal favorite is making a chilled melon soup with lime and mint. To bring out their honeyed flavor, the melon can be served with fortified wines such as a silky Muscat de Beaumes de Venise. Port and rich dessert wines such as Monbazillac will also pair exceptionally well.