The untapped potential of local genetic resources and indigenous agronomic strategies are also described. (2006). Mainstreaming underutilized indigenous and traditional crops into food systems: a South African perspective. doi: 10.1177/156482650002100213, Nantoum, A. D., Traor, S., Christiansen, J. L., Andersen, S. B., and Jensen, B. D. (2012). Plant Biotech. Black women's food writing and the archive of black women's history, in Dethroning the Deceiftful Pork Chop: Rethinking African American Foodways From Slavery to Obama, ed J. J. Wallach (Fayetteville, AR: University of Arkansas Press), 3145. Our analyses imply that early farmers brought into cultivation already non-bitter watermelons, different from other domesticated Cucurbitaceae crops such as cucumber, the team writes. Ecology and Society. Vall, E., Andrieu, N., Beavogui, F., and Sogodogo, D. (2011). Super vegetables. Moreover, in combination with the above nutritional properties, many African leafy greens are reported to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties (Moyo et al., 2020). Res. 5, 121123. Sci. Oil palm is a high-yielding crop with a long productive lifespan. Rural Soc. Oil Bear Plant. As one example, in pre-Columbian Haiti, cassava, beans and maize, indigenous to the Americas, were intercropped in conuco mounds by the Taino people, to prevent erosion and retain water and nutrients on hillsides (Whitmore and Turner, 2001; Bargout and Raizada, 2013). Planta 250, 753676. 127, 17831794. How Watermelons Became a Racial Stereotype in America The wild arabica coffee on the Boma Plateau, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. To enable such advancements, we recommend a greater global and philanthropic investment for neglected African crops, such as fonio, to establish seedbanks and breeding programs within the Collaborative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system. Pearl millet (P. glaucum) (Figure 12B) was domesticated in the Western Sahara more than 4,900 years ago (Figure 1) at the intersection of Southwestern Algeria, Northeastern Mauritania and Northwestern Mali, and reached South Asia in ancient times (Oumar et al., 2008; Clotault et al., 2011; Manning et al., 2011; Burgarella et al., 2018). . By using blades of their hoes heated under the sun as frying pans, African-American slaves made hoecakes (later evolving into American pancakes) out of fufu (Whit, 1999; Holloway, 2005). Vegetation of the Yayu Forest in SW Ethiopia: Impacts of Human Use and Implications for in situ Conservation of Wild Coffea arabica L. Populations. Images of shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) growth and processing from Africa. Cowpea today plays an integral role in African-American culture, specifically in traditional soul food dishes such as hopping John (boiled black-eyed peas and rice), which have been synthesized from the experiences, history, and journeys of resilience of enslaved peoples (Whit, 2008). Opin. Forests, Trees Livelihoods 26, 1328. The code has been copied to your clipboard. 17, 280284. Presently, two subspecies of shea trees exist, subspecies paradoxa ranging from Senegal to Central African Republic, and subspecies nilotica in Sudan and Uganda (Allal et al., 2011). Today, China is the world's largest producer of watermelons. Smallerholder involvement in tree crops in Malaya, with special reference to oil and coconut palms in Johor, 1862-1963. No, it's not a melon gone bad. doi: 10.1007/BF02859526, Patay, . Fufu today is a favored dish amongst traditional West and Central African cultures as well as Creole culture in the U.S. South (Holloway, 2005; Mitchell, 2009). Cucumber: A Brief History - University of Missouri Front. Where did watermelon originally come from? Hum. Opie explains that people who were bringing enslaved Africans to North America wanted to keep them alive and earn a profit. 8, 307329. 5, 35903598. 5, 7586. A., and Kunert, K. J. Available online at: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data (accessed June 27, 2020). How Enslaved Africans Influenced American Diet. doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.101980, Wynberg, R. (2017). History: Watermelon's Backstory Has Deep Roots Resour. Indigenous knowledge and traditional conservation of fonio millet (Digitaria exilis, Digitaria iburua) in Togo. However, like the other millets from Africa, teff suffers from low yields (including from lodging) compared to the world's major cereal crops (at least under ideal conditions) (Girma et al., 2014a) and contributes to significant post-harvest labor for women (Chanyalew et al., 2019). 54, 555565. Retrieved June 29, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/watermelon-0. B. L., Eilu, G., Nakabonge, G., Nyeko, P., and Vuzi, P. (2012). doi: 10.1177/0309132510378335, Smith, D. T., and Cooley, A. W. (1973). doi: 10.1016/j.cosust.2013.10.014. Veg. (1994). National Geographic Magazine, Washington, DC. A promising example is the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bag, which reduces post-harvest losses due to fungal pathogens and insect pests at a low cost for smallholders (Baoua et al., 2012). B. blackberries, dewberries, raspberries. Seidu, J. M., Bobobee, E. Y. H., Kwenin, W. K. J., Frimpong, R., Kugbe, S. D., Tevor, W. J., et al. Food Sci. Source: CGIAR. Greater investment into Africa to preserve this biodiversity will ensure a brighter future for one of the world's most valuable crops (Sunilkumar et al., 2020). For example, smallholder farmers in Nigeria are reported to burn newly cleared lands to reduce pest populations, practice multi-cropping and mixed cropping to act as barriers to respective pests, and directly apply herbal mixtures as seed dressings, herbal smoke, and pesticides (Kitch et al., 1997). Agric. Watermelons are now extensively cultivated in the United States [2] and are popular also in S Russia. Paris argues that the original watermelon wasn't sweet, and it certainly wasn't red, but it did provide an important source of water amid miles of desert (via National Geographic). Lange, M. K. (2004). Early acceptance of watermelon by Indians of the United States. Oil palm has many edible and non-edible uses, including food industry products (salad dressings, margarine, processed foods, infant and health foods), medicinal uses, medium chain triglycerides (cosmetics and other personal care products), a substitute for polyethylene in food packaging, lubricants, and agrochemicals (used as an inert ingredient in pesticide formulations), renewable energy resources, and waste from its empty-fruit bunches as mulch and fertilizer (Basiron and Weng, 2004; Hall, 2008). 38, 312322. (2012). This raises the question as to whether Westerners truly benefit from the health properties of rooibos, if consumed by using ways other than traditional means of preparing this tea. High genetic diversity has been observed in Nigeria, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, thus these regions hold promise for future oil palm improvement (Hayati et al., 2004) as do interspecific hybrids from African oil palm and E. oleifera from the Americas (Arias et al., 2015). How Old Is The Oldest Watermelon? - Sweetish Hill If you think that's impressive, then try wrapping your head around the 4,000 year-old painting of a watermelon that exists in an Egyptian tomb. (2012). Syst. The leaves, roots, and bark of the shea tree are also used in making tools, for medicinal treatments, the litter as fertilizer, and the overall tree as firewood, all of which contribute to the livelihoods of the agriculturalists maintaining these trees (Maranz et al., 2004; Honfo et al., 2014; Elias, 2015). Creole gumbo (gumbo meaning okra) is described as the heart of Southern Creole food, which synthesizes the African, Native American, Spanish and/or French cultural elements of Creole cultural heritage (Marks, 2015). 20, 294300. Soc. CC BY-SA 4.0. It is hypothesized that oil palm trees dispersed from the center of origin across Africa through the migration of floating seeds in interconnected waterways, and through the droppings of seeds consumed by migrating birds (Davies, 1968; Hayati et al., 2004). Today, there are global movements to end anti-Black racism against African-Americans and other peoples of color (Burch et al., 2020). The African slave trade to Asia and the Indian Ocean islands. Source: R. Bosch. Bot. 60, 268275. Bot. ." Give it a good long study, maybe a sniff and keep in mind that this fruit has been titillating eaters all over the world for centuries. The high protein content of cowpea is derived from its association with symbiotic root nitrogen-fixing microbes which ultimately also contributes to sustainable agriculture and restoration of soil health (Akpalu et al., 2014; Martins et al., 2014; Horn et al., 2016). Plant Sci. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 6, 5359. Conserv. Food associated with African-Americans, including the watermelon, eventually became a symbol of autonomy during and after the Civil Rights movement and served as a reminder of the journey captive Africans made through the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade into America (Mitchell, 2009). Winberry, J. J. Oil palm plantations in Peninsular Malaysia: determinants and contraints on expansion. 25, 3947. Source: M. Shelton. Esch, E., and Roediger, D. (2014). While only a partial list of crops, this section provides a detailed analysis of traditional African crops and their contributions to the United States and elsewhere. Although, to be fair, do most Africans know that crops such as maize and cassava, which are central to many African food traditions today, originate from the New World? By 1629, they were widely grown in Massachusetts. Sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, in Millets and Sorghum: Biology and Genetic Improvement, ed J. V. Patil (West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons), 148. Related to hibiscus (Hibiscus spp.) Studies have theorized that yellow watermelon was actually cultivated before its bright red counterpart (via Organic Facts). CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Turner, N. J., and Turner, K. L. (2007). Farmers in Nigeria are known to fill mounds with palm oil leaves and residues to fertilize the yams (Lagemann, 1977). 17:25. doi: 10.5751/ES-04775-170125, Olodo, K. F., Gueye, M. C., Calatayud, C., Diop, B. M., Kane, N. A., Ngom, A., et al. doi: 10.1038/s41588-019-0518-4, Gwali, S., Okullo, J. This site requires JavaScript to function correctly. At its core, watermelon represented a pathway to economic freedom for formerly enslaved Africans. J. Bot. Dietary intakes of minerals, essential and toxic trace elements for adults from Eragrostis tef L.: a nutritional assessment. National Research Council (1996). doi: 10.3390/agronomy10020231. And of course, that growing business was seen as a threat to white residents in cities across the South during the Jim Crow era. doi: 10.1080/02571862.2014.907453, Mbow, C., Van Noordwijk, M., Luedeling, E., Neufeldt, H., Minang, P. A., and Kowero, G. (2014). CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. You may think of watermelon as a red, sweet taste of summer. Rest of Europe didn't state growing watermelons until the 17th century when they were widely accepted as a minor garden crop. Encyclopedia.com. Do original watermelons still exist? L.) Ann. 37, 902914. doi: 10.1080/07352689.2011.554358. (1980). doi: 10.1080/14728028.2016.1192004. 7:1724. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01724, Shevade, V. S., and Loboda, T. V. (2019). Sure, you can't have a seed-spitting contest with these melons, but you can easily cut one up for a smoothie, feed it to a small child, use it for a quick salsa or simplyeat without worrying that you'llbreak a tooth on a petrified seed. Post dateAugust 7, 2022 Fruits The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred in Egypt nearly 5000 years ago. doi: 10.1111/pbi.12199, Girma, G., Hyma, K. E., Asiedu, R., Mitchell, S. E., Gedil, M., and Spillane, C. (2014b). The paper specifically is intended to provide an understanding of the origins of domestication of these crops, their migration histories out of Africa, their contributions to nutrition, cuisine, culture and household products, their current significance to smallholder farmers and known indigenous cultivation practices. You can even obtain watermelon with yellow flesh inside. . The cover of the Aug. 9, 1937 issue of Life Magazine is all about watermelons. Why agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa remains low compared to the rest of the world a historical perspective. Source: Daveynin. South Afr. This under-appreciation is particularly relevant in the current context of societal movements to end historic racism and value the contributions of peoples of African origin and African skin colors. Cultural symbols are more powerful than they seem. Cahiers. Black Diamond is a classic oblong watermelon with a black-green rind covering bright red, crisp, flavorful flesh. (2011). Yam genomics supports West Africa as a major cradle of crop domestication. J. Genoc. The Truth About Yellow Watermelon Indeed, cowpea is growing in popularity worldwide, particularly in developed countries, where it is experiencing a growth rate of 2.9% per annum in terms of the area under cultivation (Nedumaran et al., 2015). doi: 10.1111/pbr.12475, Oumar, I., Mariac, C., Pham, J.-L., and Vigouroux, Y. Plant Genet. In Southern African-American food history, it is known that slaves often cooked okra as fried fritters or used its mucilage as a thickener in gumbo stews (Yentsch, 2008; Marks, 2015). In eighteenth century Guyana, in South America, there are even reports of okra being used to induce abortions (Carney, 2001a). Evidence shows teff was domesticated in Ethiopia at least 2,000 years ago (Figure 1), but is possibly much more ancient (D'Andrea, 2008; Chanyalew et al., 2019). The cartoon, in black and white, shows five little Black boys sitting and standing in a doorway, hungrily devouring watermelon. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026593, Serba, D. D., and Yadav, R. S. (2016). Palm oil: addressing issues and towards sustainable development. doi: 10.5304/jafscd.2015.052.014, Honfo, F. G., Akissoe, N., Linnemann, A. R., Soumanou, M., and Van Boekel, M. A. J. S. (2014). Africa, in Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. The 5,000-Year Secret History of the Watermelon Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade - Essays. Pop-out player Do you like to drink Coca-Cola? While climate change impacts will disproportionately impact African agriculture (Niang et al., 2014), the potential solutions may also be situated on the continent. 46, 12451248. Citrulline, derived from Citrullus, is a non-essential amino acid that accumulates in watermelon and is instrumental to oxidative-stress tolerance during drought conditions, including during the seedling stage (Yokota et al., 2002; Zhang et al., 2011; Guo et al., 2013). Soaking up the likker from the pot with cornbread, a common soul food practice, provided a way to consume some of the leached vitamins from cooking (Whit, 2008). Additionally, palm oil played a key role in the trading of slavesthe oil was rubbed onto the freshly shaved skin of enslaved African peoples before selling them in a market to make them look younger (Hall, 2008). Available online at: https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/cowpea-receives-more-research-support/ (accessed June 27, 2020). Though we think of watermelon as mainly an American food item, especially in the Southern states, the fruit actually hails from Africa, namely Egypt. Moorish conquerors of Spain introduced watermelon into Europe, but its spread northwards halted as a result of the unfavorable climate for the crop (Wehner, 2008; Paris, 2015). In rural areas of many developing nations, cowpea is a critical source of protein and nutrients which is particularly important since animal protein may be inaccessible, and many diets primarily consist of starchy root crops and cereals, which are amino-acid deficient or incomplete, respectively (Akpalu et al., 2014; Ravelombola et al., 2017). Native to Africa, it was a valuable and portable source of water for desert situations and when natural water supplies were contaminated. J. Linn. Here, as indigenous tree species in the forest are conserved to provide shade for the coffee trees, the ground vegetation between coffee trees is removed, and regenerated coffee seedlings fill in empty space between trees (Hwang et al., 2020). The answer is yes, with a couple of precautions. doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2003.12.001. Genetic diversity of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) It is hypothesized that the seed dispersal of both shea species across the shea belt occurred because of birds, ungulates, and primates consuming the fruit, as well as humans consuming and anthropogenically shaping savannah woodlands (Tom-Dery et al., 2018). Appl. 63, 429445. By the eighteenth century, oil palm was being cultivated by slaves in Jamaica and Martinique (Carney, 2001a). Available online at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/food/the-plate/2016/09/5-foods-from-africa/#close (accessed October 5, 2020). B., Bencsik, T., and Papp, N. (2016). Resour. Afr. J. Biodivers. African indigenous food crops: their roles in combatting chronic diseases in Ghana (Masters' thesis). Turrialba 5, 3753. Crops that feed the world 11. Racism and capitalism: dual challenges for the food movement. Given that the vast majority of chronic malnutrition globally occurs in the sub-tropics during extended dry seasons (e.g., Sahel, India), this crop could thus contribute to the alleviation of hunger and poverty. Genet. Plant Soil 31, 8791. 2016:5934738. doi: 10.1155/2016/5934738, Wasylikowa, K., and van der Veen, M. (2004). Two okra species are important commercially: A. esculentus (Indian okra, responsible for 95% of global production) and A. callei (African okra, responsible for 5% of global production) (Kumar et al., 2010). Appl. How did watermelons get to America? The history and ethnobotany of Cape herbal teas. doi: 10.1007/s10722-017-0565-6, Baoua, I. Soul food as cultural creation, in African American Foodways: Explorations of History and Culture, ed A. L. Bower (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press), 4558. doi: 10.2307/j.ctt1ffjdh9.12, Martins, C. M., Lawlor, D. W., Quilambo, O. All beans to be traded had to be partially roasted (Figure 3B) to prevent their germination and establishment worldwide (Pendergast, 1999). It isnt that there was a eureka moment from which time we settled down, grew crops and hassled herbivores, sometimes with the help of the dogs that actually may have been domesticated way earlier. Bot. (2008). The availability of these solutions, however, depends on the ability to conserve and sustainably utilize these crop resources. doi: 10.2307/j.ctt1ffjdh9.8, Girma, D., Assefa, K., Chanyalew, S., Cannarozzi, G., Kuhlemeier, C., and Tadele, Z. After sowing, typically no chemical inputs are used, though some farmers apply manure fertilizer (Jensen et al., 2011b). 70, 5259. This means that the diversity of native cowpea landraces in East and Central Africa may serve as useful resources for resistance breeding (Omoigui et al., 2017a; Owade et al., 2020). 89, 825832. Many leafy greens can act as an in situ conservation mechanism, such that the planting of greens preserves ancient genetic heritage of these plants, protects native pollinator species by providing forages, and provides efficient and effective ground covers to protect and restore soil health while suppressing weeds (National Research Council, 2006; Aleni, 2018). Critical analysis of the production of Western knowledge and its implications for indigenous knowledge and decolonization. The analysis includes the sites of domestication of African crops, their historical migration out of Africa, their sociocultural contributions to cuisines and products around the world, their uses today, and the indigenous knowledge associated with traditional cultivation and landrace selection. Further understanding of the origins of the cowpea legume may shine light on its significance to the African identity, and potential for future improvement especially in a time of needing to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Curr. What difference does it make if we know or dont know the origin of a given food? The first watermelons appeared in South Africa some 5,000 years ago, and we still can find many wild variants there, from sweet, too bland and bitter. CC BY-NC 2.0. Humanities 5, 114. Finger millet is one of the richest grain sources of minerals including calcium and the amino acid lysine which is deficient in many other cereals (Chandra et al., 2016). doi: 10.1663/0013-0001(2004)058[0588:NVAIPF]2.0.CO;2, Maranz, S., and Wiesman, Z. From conservation to commercialisation: African indigenous vegetables in Arua, District of Uganda (masters' thesis). (Hilu and de Wet, 1976; Hatakeyama et al., 2017). Okra mucilage is useful as a topical medicine; dried and crushed okra seeds are used as a stimulant substitute for caffeine (Figure 10B); while the okra pith (stem fiber) is used in paper and biosorbents (Carney, 2001a; National Research Council, 2006; Benchasri, 2012; Vandebroek and Voeks, 2018). doi: 10.3390/f11040422, Ives, S. (2014). Keywords: Africa, crop, domestication, African-American, cuisine, genetic resources, agronomy, resilience, Citation: Sousa EC and Raizada MN (2020) Contributions of African Crops to American Culture and Beyond: The Slave Trade and Other Journeys of Resilient Peoples and Crops. 77, 869886. 15, 8389. Nat. The African Heritage Cookbook. Southeast Archaeol. "Watermelon is 92 percent water, so it is a great way to help meet your fluid needs while enjoying a sweet treat," says Elizabeth Somer, author of Eat Your Way to Happiness. Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa C. F. Due to its drought-resistance, watermelon is noted as a climate change resilient crop (Yokota et al., 2002; Zhang et al., 2011). Avocado. The crop is usually grown alone or is intercropped with wheat, cassava, maize, pepper, and/or tomato, and improves the profitability of these systems (Adeoye et al., 2011; Nantoum et al., 2012; Huang et al., 2015). cv. doi: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2016.11.008, Paudel, L., Clevenger, J., and McGregor, C. (2019). (2020). Grassi, F., Landberg, J., and Huyer, S. (2015). Hist. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)From the nineteenth century to the present day, the watermelon in North America has been a racial stereotype of African-Americans ().The watermelon signified Blacks as "lazy," "irresponsible," "criminal," and as "simple creatures" who could be "satisfied" with a slice of watermelondespite the deprivation of their civil rights (Lemons, 1977 . 42, 377396. Where Did Watermelon Come From? The latter trait is especially important in developing nations, where smallholder women farmers can spend up to 50% of their on-farm time removing weeds by hand (Grassi et al., 2015). Seng, T.-Y., Saad, S. H. M., Chin, C.-W., Ting, N.-C., Singh, R. S. H., Zaman, F. Q., et al. DAVID A. BENDER "watermelon Overall, cowpeas consumed regularly in diversified diets can assist children and pregnant and/or breastfeeding mothers in attaining nutritional security, or fighting micronutrient deficiencies such as vitamin A deficiency (Akpalu et al., 2014; Owade et al., 2020). (2015). The Asian intensification of palm oil resulted from the Dutch introducing palms from West Africa to the Bogor Botanical Gardens in Indonesia in 1848, and the British introducing oil palm seeds to Malaysia in the 1870sduring the era of pan-continental colonization (Basiron and Weng, 2004; Cramb and Curry, 2012).
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when did watermelon come to america
