They say that in ancient times there was a special punishment for stealing a melon: a person who stole a melon at the bazaar getting twice as many cuffs as a person who coveted other fruits. As if for the fact that the thief is also a lazy person, because it costs nothing to grow a melon - throw a seed into the ground, sit and wait: the melon grows by itself, ripens by itself. Is it really? Those who were born on the Turkmen land know that she, like a caring mother, brings up her children in hard work - she will not allow a grain of wheat or a drop of water to be taken for free. But the worker will reward the most fragrant churek, the most sugar grapes and golden honeydew melon.
Fragrant, honeyed Turkmen melon has no equal anywhere in the world. This was noticed back in ancient times, when the melon was considered an exquisite delicacy and the camel could pay for the melon.
The advantages of the Turkmen melon were also appreciated by the first settlers from Russia and the Caucasus who arrived in Turkmenistan in 1881. With difficulty enduring the unusually hot climate, they were amazed at the health of the ability to work and the cheerfulness of the local population. Over the years, the new citizens of the Turkmen land became convinced that, among other things, rational, time-tested, proper nutrition is of no small importance in the vitality of the Turkmen. And here the melon, which has absorbed all the riches of vitamins, mineral salts, trace elements, glucose, sucrose, pectin, carotene, takes pride of place. It not only nourished and watered, but also healed a person
For a long time, the Turkmen knew that melon pulp has a diuretic property, a decoction of young ovaries was used for stomach infections, and melon seed oil was used to cleanse blood vessels. The melon - strong, golden, - was taken with them both on the caravan route and on the shepherds' chabans. She, like the sacred bread for the Turkmen, did not spoil for long days on the road and gave tired people not only strength, but also the joy of delicious food. The Turkmen appreciated the melon at its true worth, knew the secrets of its breeding and knew how to harvest it for future use.
Historical documents tell that the Turkmen population of each district sowed and cultivated melons in their own special way. In Iolotan, for example, according to data from 1882-1890 after the flood waters subsided, the flooded lands were sown with melon seeds and during the entire ripening period the plants were watered only once, and in Kizyl-Arvat the farmers dug vast holes in the fall, where all the rain and winter snow water was collected. In early spring, with the first warm rays of the sun, melon seeds were sown around these pits, and during the entire growing season and ripening of fruits there was no more watering. Melons, saturated with this natural moisture, ripened under the bright sun, according to Russian researchers of the Transcaspian region, were unusually sweet, juicy and aromatic. Different auls knew different methods of sowing melon seeds and caring for them, but melons were bred everywhere. The harvest fell on the hottest days of the year, so the daily harvest began at dawn.
The Turkmen people used to have many different ways of harvesting melons for future use. A syrup of thick honey, fragrant and sweet, was boiled out of the ripe pulp. They also prepared "seok": wheat flour and sesame seeds were added to the condensed melon juice - this product lasted for 2-3 years. Melon dried in the sun was woven into bundles, getting a delicious marmalade-like product. Wonderful dried melons were not only consumed locally, but also in the 19th - early 20th centuries were exported by the Turkmens. Interestingly, farmers knew how to preserve winter varieties of melons until the next harvest, and their taste only improved during storage.
In a word, the Transcaspian researchers saw the Turkmen melon grower as a hard worker, and at the same time noted how gratefully “the best known in the markets of the Russian Empire, the Turkmen melon,” responds to human care. Here are just a few documents confirming the glory of Turkmen melons.
From the report on the Central Asian exhibition in Moscow, 1891: “In the Trans-Caspian region, in the Department of Agriculture and Agriculture, Serakh melons, pumpkins, white and red cotton, samples of cotton wool, cleaned by hand, were awarded gold medals - 5; silver - 7; bronze - 3; approving reviews - 42 ".
From the "Survey of the Trans-Caspian region" for 1898: “Melon growing of the Trans-Caspian region is very important. Melon is one of the main food products for the indigenous population here. Melon is not only a delicacy, but also a medicine. The Turkmen of Tejen district even practice a special course of melon treatment, using melon ovaries for many ailments. " There: "Local varieties of melons are distinguished by excellent qualities, especially sugar and aromatic."
From the “Survey of the Trans-Caspian region” for 1911: “In the Askhabad district, gardening is well developed in the villages near Askhabad ... Large areas are occupied by watermelons and melons. The Turkmen melons are excellent in taste».
Vladimir Zarembo
