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Content provided by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, Cynthia Graber, and Nicola Twilley. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, Cynthia Graber, and Nicola Twilley or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.
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The Most Dangerous Fruit in America

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Manage episode 498502343 series 131718
Content provided by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, Cynthia Graber, and Nicola Twilley. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, Cynthia Graber, and Nicola Twilley or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

It's the epitome of summertime: there’s nothing like a cold, juicy slice of red watermelon on a swelteringly hot day. But, once upon a time, watermelons were neither red nor sweet—the wild watermelon has white flesh and a bitter taste. This episode, we scour Egyptian tombs, decaying DNA, and ancient literature in search of watermelon's origins. The quest for tasty watermelon continues into modern times, with the rediscovery of a lost (and legendarily sweet) varietal in South Carolina—and the Nigerian musical secret that might help you pick a ripe one. But the fruit's history has often been the opposite of sweet: watermelons have featured in some of the most ubiquitous anti-Black imagery in U.S. history. So how did the watermelon become the most dangerous—and racist—fruit in America? (encore)

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285 episodes

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The Most Dangerous Fruit in America

Gastropod

2,758 subscribers

published

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Manage episode 498502343 series 131718
Content provided by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, Cynthia Graber, and Nicola Twilley. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, Cynthia Graber, and Nicola Twilley or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

It's the epitome of summertime: there’s nothing like a cold, juicy slice of red watermelon on a swelteringly hot day. But, once upon a time, watermelons were neither red nor sweet—the wild watermelon has white flesh and a bitter taste. This episode, we scour Egyptian tombs, decaying DNA, and ancient literature in search of watermelon's origins. The quest for tasty watermelon continues into modern times, with the rediscovery of a lost (and legendarily sweet) varietal in South Carolina—and the Nigerian musical secret that might help you pick a ripe one. But the fruit's history has often been the opposite of sweet: watermelons have featured in some of the most ubiquitous anti-Black imagery in U.S. history. So how did the watermelon become the most dangerous—and racist—fruit in America? (encore)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  continue reading

285 episodes

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