Back in 1866, a family business was established in Cavaillon,
France, selling
Cavaillon melons at the entrance to the city. These melons are spherical and slightly smaller than the standard cantaloupe. The exterior has a pale gold skin with bluish-green vertical striping running from end to end and orange inner flesh with an intense floral yet tropical aroma and a very high sugar content. Available from mid-summer to fall, the fruit comes from Cavaillon and is a much-celebrated local product with special designation status. It can only be called a Cavaillon Melon if it is grown in Provence or in a part of the Durance valley and must be grown by farmers that belong to the product’s official association. Beloved of its hometown, statues, paintings, annual festivals, and a 9-ton melon sculpture at the entryway to the town all mark what it means to locals.
This beloved local melon can also be thanked for birthing the town’s only Michelin-starred restaurant,
Maison Prévôt. This restaurant, which goes completely melon-themed for five months of the year, owes its origins to a trip to Paris in 1977, when Jean-Jacques Prévôt, chef and founder of Maison Prévôt broke down in the south of France, just outside Cavaillon.