# Cantaloupe Confusion! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 16, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781 "2020-06-16T15:46:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/1 "2020-06-16T15:46:36Z")
When I was a kid we always had what we called muskmelon. Now that same melon is called canteloupe. I wondered if there was a difference so I googled it. I’m more confused than ever now. One website states that what we eat in the US is muskmelon and that a true canteloupe would be hard to find in the US. Another website says that all cantaloupes are muskmelons but not all muskmelons are cantaloupes. (putting an S at the end of canteloupe doesn’t look correct to me!) One website describes what I eat as a cantaloupe but another describes them as looking different. And vice versa with a muskmelon. So can someone unravel this mystery for me?😕 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/2 "2020-06-16T15:50:38Z")
Does the wikipedia entry help at all? > **[Cantaloupe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantaloupe)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > The cantaloupe, rockmelon (Australia and New Zealand, although cantaloupe is used in some states of Australia), sweet melon, or spanspek (Southern Africa) is a melon that is a variety of the muskmelon species (Cucumis melo) from the family Cucurbitaceae. > Cantaloupes range in mass from 0.5 to 5 kilograms (1 to 11 lb). Originally, cantaloupe referred only to the non-netted, orange-fleshed melons of Europe, but today may refer to any orange-fleshed ... TLDR: 2 things are called canatloupe: a European melon and a North American melon. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/3 "2020-06-16T15:58:23Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > When I was a kid we always had what we called muskmelon. Now that same melon is called canteloupe. I wondered if there was a difference so I googled it. I’m more confused than ever now. One website states that what we eat in the US is muskmelon and that a true canteloupe would be hard to find in the US. Another website says that all cantaloupes are muskmelons but not all muskmelons are cantaloupes. (putting an S at the end of canteloupe doesn’t look correct to me!) One website describes what I eat as a cantaloupe but another describes them as looking different. And vice versa with a muskmelon. > > So can someone unravel this mystery for me?😕 IME, working in produce my entire life, they are two different, but similar fruit. However, some people do use the terms interchangeably. Notably, people referring to all of them as muskmelon or sugar melon. I don’t know if it’s a regional thing or people that just aren’t aware of the difference, like yams and sweet potatoes. Luckily, if someone is looking for musk melon and I point to the cantaloupe, it’s typically what they want. However, if someone is looking for yams and I point to the sweet potatoes, with a sign that says ‘sweet potatoes’, often they get confused and won’t buy them. A lot of times we put both names on the sign and the boxes they come in often have both names on them as well. > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > TLDR: 2 things are called canatloupe: a European melon and a North American melon. I don’t think any things are called that. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/4 "2020-06-16T16:01:51Z")
From [Muskmelon: What Is It and How Is It Different from Cantaloupe?](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/muskmelon-vs-cantaloupe) [Muskmelon on the left; cantaloupe on the right.](https://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/AN_images/muskmelon-vs-cantaloupe-1296x728-feature.jpg?w=1155&h=1528) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/5 "2020-06-16T16:01:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Joey P** : > > However, if someone is looking for yams and I point to the sweet potatoes, with a sign that says ‘sweet potatoes’, often they get confused and won’t buy them. Are you sure it’s they who are confused? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/6 "2020-06-16T16:01:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Joey P** : > > However, if someone is looking for yams and I point to the sweet potatoes, with a sign that says ‘sweet potatoes’, often they get confused and won’t buy them. Are you sure it’s they who are confused? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/7 "2020-06-16T16:07:39Z")
[What’s the Difference Between a Sweet Potato and a Yam?](https://www.bonappetit.com/story/difference-between-sweet-potato-and-yam) > [@](#): > > **_Real_ yams are entirely different root vegetables** that are more like yucca in texture and flavor. They have bumpy, tough brown skin (that looks almost tree trunk-like) with starchy, not sweet flesh. Yams are more easily compared to the texture and flavor of white russet potatoes (with more fiber and complex carbs) and are best boiled and served alongside hearty braised meats. The neutrally-flavored yams are often used in Caribbean or West African cooking, and are difficult to find in the U.S.; sometimes you can pick them up at specialty grocery stores. Bold & italics theirs. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/8 "2020-06-16T16:10:13Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > IME, working in produce my entire life, they are two different, but similar fruit. IME, muskmelons are bigger than cantaloupes, their rinds have a different texture, and they have a slightly different taste. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/9 "2020-06-16T16:18:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Are you sure it’s they who are confused? Yes, I am. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/10 "2020-06-16T16:41:33Z")
So, someone asks for a yam, you point them to something that is clearly not a yam, and is bearing a label that says that it’s not a yam, and when they don’t want to buy it, that’s a sign that they’re confused? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/11 "2020-06-16T16:43:13Z")
I’ve always been told that if you are getting it on this continent, it’s almost always a musk melon. In any case, I always thought I didn’t like them until I had a truly ripe one. Zounds! It was worth the cost of that breakfast plate just for the melon. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/12 "2020-06-16T17:08:47Z")
If you can ever get your hands on a [Charentais melon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charentais_melon), do it. However, you probably have to be in France or a neighboring country. I like muskmelon/cantaloupe, but Charentais is a special treat. Any of them are even better when they hit the peak of ripeness. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/13 "2020-06-16T17:24:42Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I don’t think any things are called that. I knew that little red wiggly was trying to tell me _something_. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/14 "2020-06-16T17:57:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So, someone asks for a yam, you point them to something that is clearly not a yam, and is bearing a label that says that it’s not a yam, and when they don’t want to buy it, that’s a sign that they’re confused? Again. Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/15 "2020-06-16T18:13:52Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Again. Yes. [FFS, these server errors are becoming a real PITA] Anyway, the conversation is more along the lines of: Customer: Do you have yams? Me: We have sweet potatoes, they’re right here. Customer: My recipe says yams, is there a difference? Me: [Explains] Customer: Hmmm, they look the same as what we always get…I’m not sure now. So they’re the same thing. Me: Sure/yes Customer: I’ll have to ask wife/husband/kid/parent. [leaves] In the 30 years I’ve been doing this (and the 120 years my family has), I’m fairly confident the overwhelming majority of people asking for yams, actually want sweet potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/16 "2020-06-16T18:43:46Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > In the 30 years I’ve been doing this (and the 120 years my family has), I’m fairly confident the overwhelming majority of people asking for yams, actually want sweet potatoes. While I generally agree, I do occasionally cook tagines that are supposed to be made with true yams. That said, if I cannot find yams I will substitute with several varieties of potatoes, sometimes including a sweet potato. And speaking of sweet potatoes, we’ve been eating them way more often lately. Baked sweet potato, mmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/17 "2020-06-16T18:48:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So, someone asks for a yam, you point them to something that is clearly not a yam, and is bearing a label that says that it’s not a yam, and when they don’t want to buy it, that’s a sign that they’re confused? What Americans call yams actually are sweet potatoes. We use the term yam to mean the darker colored sweet potatoes (of which one type is called garnet sweet potatoes). We don’t see true African yams here. Maybe JoeyP could explain it better to customers if they’re still confused. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/18 "2020-06-16T18:56:58Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > What Americans call yams actually are sweet potatoes. We use the term yam to mean the darker colored sweet potatoes (of which one type is called garnet sweet potatoes). We don’t see true African yams here. Maybe JoeyP could explain it better to customers if they’re still confused. I do what I can. At one point we even had a short explanation posted above them. What we’ve found works the best is to just write “YAMS” and “SWEET POTATOES” on the sign. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/19 "2020-06-16T20:16:17Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > What Americans call yams actually are sweet potatoes. We use the term yam to mean the darker colored sweet potatoes (of which one type is called garnet sweet potatoes). We don’t see true African yams here. Maybe JoeyP could explain it better to customers if they’re still confused. That is correct, although at my local grocery, they do sometimes have actual yams in the section that carries various tubers (like cassava/yuca, jicama, and the like.) It’s not a fancy grocery or anything, but it does carry some Afro-Carribean foodstuffs in addition to the more usual Mexican and American offerings. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781/20 "2020-06-16T20:37:35Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > From [Muskmelon: What Is It and How Is It Different from Cantaloupe?](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/muskmelon-vs-cantaloupe) > > [Muskmelon on the left; cantaloupe on the right.](https://i0.wp.com/images-prod.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/AN_images/muskmelon-vs-cantaloupe-1296x728-feature.jpg?w=1155&h=1528) Judging by the pictures all I’ve ever eaten are canteloupes. I’ve never seen a melon that looked like that muskmelon. However, we were on a trip when I was a kid, and we had stopped at a park in Needles to eat a meal. There was family from Oklahoma at a nearby picnic table, who came over to ask if we wanted some of their muskmelons (any fresh fruit crossing from CA to AZ would be confiscated at the border). I was amazed that we were going to get some new weird fruit…but it was just canteloupes. That looked just like all the canteloupes I’d ever eaten. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cantaloupe-confusion/855781.md?page=2)