Watermelon (or Drunk Watermelon): The King of Summer in Tuscany

[Photo credits: Racchio http://ow.ly/gPnJu]

 When temperatures rise, a diet based on fruits and vegetables becomes a good therapy to fight heat and thirst. In summer you can try many fruits from the Tuscan countryside and woods. Stalls open to the public offering fruit shakes, fruits salads and artistically displayed fruit platters.

Of course, we’re in the land where traditional products inspire the best food festivals, so in summer you can visit the Lari Cherry Festival and the Carmignano Fig Festival, where you can taste these fresh fruits, jams, sweets, liquors and special dishes. But summer’s most famous fruit in Tuscany is watermelon (in Italian called Anguria, or better known as Cocomero). The giant “cocomero” from Valdicchiana can, for example, easily reach 20 kilograms.

Many towns celebrate Ferragosto (in mid-August) with great watermelon festivals (called “cocomerate” in Italian). But this sweet and refreshing red fruit could be also amusing. An interesting way to eat watermelon is to flavor it with rum or vodka.

“Drunk Watermelon” parties (Festa del Cocomero Ubriaco or “Briao”) are very popular in places like Prato, and if you want to offer this to your guests as a fresh dessert, here is the recipe:

Take a watermelon and make a little hole on top. Use a funnel to patiently pour inside the alcohol, all of which will gradually be absorbed. Leave the watermelon in the fridge half a day, then cut into slices and… have a good time !