When I meet people from overseas, I love to take them to the traditional markets. Here they can see all the fruits, veggies, meats, seafood and oriental medicines that Koreans use in their cuisine. It doesn't matter if the guests are from China, Singapore, America, or from France almost everyone of them will ask me about the oval, yellow and white striped fruit: Chamae.

Chamae, or known as the canary melon can be found at many places all around Korea. In April and May, the fruits come into season and you can find them large and small for sale by fruit vendors. I thought this fruit was originally from Korea but I found out that the melon is actually from India and it made its way into China and then to Korea during the Three Kingdom's period. It is a very healthy fruit that is full of vitamins A and C and Koreans believe that the fruit helps cool down people's bodies during the summer. The fruit in other parts of the world is almost all yellow but in Korea it has a white stripe like a tiger around the outside.

The fruit tastes like a honeydew and the white flesh is very plucky and chewy like a nectarine. It's a very subtle fruit whose sweetness is like a sun setting at dawn. The interesting thing about this fruit is that the seeds are the only part that is sweet. Those that avoid the seeds because they think the fruit is like honey dew will miss out on the fruit's wonderful sweetness. Don't worry, the seeds aren't bitter like watermelon seeds and they taste like sucking on honeysuckle flowers.
Chamae can also be used as a vegetable and a popular way to prepare them is to have them pickled. In salt, the shape flattens like a deflated balloon yet it mains it's tiger yellow color. The pickle is then sliced very thin and it loses all its sweetness. It is very salty and it tastes like a sour cucumber pickle dipped in lemon. It's so salty that you need to have a side of rice with it.

While I recommend you try the pickle, I believe the fresh, sliced way is the best way to eat it. You should have this fruit tray that you can usually find at bars as part of their snack menu. On the fruit tray you'll usually find watermelon, grapes, cherry tomatoes, bananas, pineapple and of course chamae.

Oh, and one more thing. If someone refers to your belly as Chamae Baegok. It means that you have an outie belly button, not that you ate too many of the fruit.