Yubari King
| Cucumis melo 'Yubari King' | |
|---|---|
Section of a fresh Yūbari King melon | |
| Genus | Cucumis |
| Species | C. melo |
| Hybrid parentage | Cucumis melo Earl's Favourite × Burpee's "Spicy" Cantaloupe |
| Cultivar | 'Yubari King?' |
| Origin | Yūbari, Hokkaidō, Japan |
The Yubari King (夕張メロン, Yūbari Meron, Yūbari melon) is a cantaloupe cultivar farmed in greenhouses in Yūbari, Hokkaido, a small city close to Sapporo.
The Yubari King is a hybrid of two other cantaloupe cultivars: Earl's Favourite and Burpee's "Spicy" Cantaloupe. The hybrid's scientific name is Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus Naud. cv. Yubari King.
A top-grade melon is to be perfectly round and have an exceptionally smooth rind. A portion of the stem, which is snipped with scissors, is left on top for aesthetic appeal. Some Japanese people present Yubari King melons as gifts during Chūgen (中元).
At a Japanese auction in 2008, two Yubari King melons sold together for ¥2.5 million. In 2016, Konishi Seika, a fruit and vegetable market in Amagasaki, bought a pair of Yubari King melons at auction with a winning bid of ¥3 million. In 2019, the Tokyo-based company Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage bought a pair of Yubari melons at auction for ¥5 million.