The history of Cavaillon doesn’t start with the melon. Why then is the melon the emblem of the city? Historians agree that the melon originated in India. The melon was purported to possess medical and mystical properties, and the Vatican was quick to capitalize on the popular fruit, growing it in large numbers.
When the papacy moved to Avignon, the cultivation of melons moved with it. The melon took root in Cavaillon, ideal because of the wetland area, land suitable for farming and the many hours of sunshine.
The quality of the melon from Cavaillon isn’t just known through word-of-mouth. An ambassador called Alexandre Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers, has also made an effort here. In a famous article in the Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine (1873), he asserts: "I repeat that I have never eaten anything this fresh and tasty before."
Between 1895 and 1959 the production increased from of 10,000 tons to more than 140,000 tons per year, making Cavaillon the melon capital of the world.
Source: Jean-Paul Deniaud