Back to the rind: Watermelon

When Mark Twain described the watermelon as “chief of the world’s luxuries” in his 1894 novel Pudd'nhead Wilson, he was only exaggerating slightly.

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This fruit needs so much water and sunlight that, even in Ancient Egypt, it was a prized commodity. We know this because watermelons were carved into depictions of feasts on temple and tomb walls dating as far back as 4,300 years ago.

This wasn't, however, the watermelon we know now. It was an oblong fruit that had already been somewhat domesticated. But from what parent species? Until recently, this remained unclear.