The Charentais is a French cantaloupe type, smaller and more intensely flavoured than the netted cantaloupe varieties common in UK supermarkets. The name comes from the Charentes region in western France where the variety was first developed in the 1920s, though most commercial production has since shifted to warmer growing areas in Provence, the south-west, and Morocco.

What distinguishes a Charentais from other melons is the concentration of flavour in a relatively small fruit. The flesh is deep orange, soft, and very juicy, with a high sugar content and a pronounced floral aroma — the volatile esters responsible for the scent develop rapidly as the fruit reaches full maturity, which is why a ripe Charentais fills a room the moment you cut it open. That intensity of fragrance is a reliable indicator of ripeness: if you can smell sweetness at the stem end before cutting, the melon is ready.

The texture is smoother and more yielding than a cantaloupe or honeydew — closer to a ripe mango in consistency. The flesh closest to the seed cavity is the sweetest, becoming slightly firmer and less sweet toward the rind. A properly ripe Charentais needs nothing added to it. Halve it, scoop the seeds, and eat it with a spoon. If you want to dress it up, a thin slice of prosciutto or jamón wrapped around a wedge is the classic pairing — the salt against the sweetness is the whole point. Chilled slices work well in a summer salad with fresh mint and a squeeze of lime.

Store at room temperature until ripe, then refrigerate and eat within a day or two — these do not keep well once they peak, which is part of the reason they rarely appear in mainstream retail. Serve cool rather than ice-cold; pulling it from the fridge 15–20 minutes before eating lets the aroma come through properly.

Origin: France / Morocco

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