There’s nothing that counteracts the heat of summer quite like a big, sweet, juicy slice of watermelon. Luke Burbank offers up the history and lore behind that thirst-quenching favorite.

Watermelon is a plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, a vine-like flowering plant originally domesticated in West Africa. It is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, having more than 1000 varieties. Watermelon is a scrambling and trailing vine in the flowering plant family Cucurbitaceae.