Melons are the sweet, juicy fruits of Cucumis melo, a member of the gourd family that includes cantaloupes, honeydews and the netted muskmelons prized in Japan. Premium melons are a traditional luxury gift in Japan, and the most famous is the Yubari King, an orange-fleshed cantaloupe variety grown in greenhouses around the city of Yubari in Hokkaido and protected as a geographical indication.
The Yubari Melon Steam Cake carries that name: a soft steamed sponge cake flavoured with melon. Its ingredient list on SeekSnack names simply “melon”, without saying whether it goes in as juice, purée or powder.
Melon is not one of the major food allergens, although a small number of people react to it, often as part of a pollen-related allergy.
