Descriptions from that era describe ripe watermelons as having a yellowish interior. Likewise, a Byzantine-era mosaic in Israel, from around 425 A.D., depicts what appears to be a cut watermelon with yellow-orange flesh. In subsequent years, the watermelon would take on its familiar red hue. That’s because the gene for the color red is paired with the gene that determines the sugar content. As watermelons were bred to become even sweeter, their interior gradually changed color. ...read more

Ancient Hebrew texts and Egyptian tomb paintings reveal the origins of our favorite summertime fruit.