Production centres on Cavaillon, France.
A Charentais Melon takes about 75 to 90 days to grow and mature, depending on where you are.
Inside, the orange or salmon-coloured flesh is very fragrant, helping to make it the most popular type of melon in France. North American producers, though, don’t like it because it is small, because it is fragile in shipping, and because it tends to split a bit at the bottom end when it is ready to pick and eat, which reduces its visual appeal to North American consumers.
Cooking Tips
One of the nicest dessert melons. Each melon tends to be large enough for two people.
History Notes
Cavaillon still has a Roman arch, though it’s no longer in its original place: it was moved in the late 1800s to be on the edge of the market square, called the “Place du Clos.”
Literature & Lore
A Melon festival has been held in Cavaillon on the second weekend of July since 1995.
Language Notes
Sometimes referred to as “Breakfast Melons” or “French Melons.”