Europeans and Africans are primarily responsible for the spread of watermelon across the Americas.
Watermelon's journey involved multiple continents and cultures:
- Initial Spread: Watermelon originated in Africa.
- European Involvement: Europeans introduced watermelon to North, Central, and South America.
- African Contribution: Enslaved Africans played a crucial role in distributing watermelon seeds widely throughout the eastern part of North America, the West Indies, and Brazil. They cultivated it and carried seeds, contributing significantly to its dispersal.
- Early Cultivation: The first written record of watermelon cultivation in North America dates back to 1629 in Massachusetts.
In summary, the spread of watermelon involved a combination of European introduction and, crucially, the active distribution and cultivation efforts of enslaved Africans across the Americas.
