While in Puglia earlier this month, we were served a plate of crudité with our main course – a first. On our plate were carrots, celery, radishes and what appeared to be melon…until I tasted it. It tasted like melon, but it also tasted like cucumber. Confused, I asked our waiter, “what is this???” He told us it was an Italian cucumber melon – something I’d never heard of before in any of my travels through Italy.
I did a google search and found a blog called The Local Beet with a great overview of the same cucumber melon I discovered, with a bonus of how to track down the seeds.
Here’s what I learned: the variety is called Carosello Barese, which are light green and oval on the plant. They are technically melons, but taste like cucumbers and are used more as cucumbers, hence their inclusion in our crudité. The botanical name for Carosellos are Cucumis Adzhur. They originated in Asia Minor and they are being cultivated in North Africa, Syria, Israel and southern Italy. The fruit has a crispy, light green and fuzzy flesh, and is easier to digest than true cucumbers. So you can leave the skin on or remove it if the fuzziness bothers you.
If you are as curious about this fruit as I am, try planting them. I am going to track down the seed from the Kansas Rural Center, per the Local Beet. You’ll want to ask for Carosello Barese seeds from an Italian company called Franchi Seeds, which are now only available through this center. Check them out!
