On September 18 this year, in the Fairmont Hotel, as part of the celebration of the Independence Day of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Ukraine, with the support of chefs of the Association of Chefs of Uzbekistan, organized a tasting of Uzbek melon "Kovun Saili" in Kiev.

         The event was attended by about 300 guests, heads of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine, the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Ukraine, diplomatic missions and international organizations, representatives of travel companies of Ukraine, etc.

         By the way, the organizers of "Kovun Saili" ("kovun" means "melon", "saili" means "celebration"), representatives of the Embassy are sure that it is in their homeland that the sweetest, most delicious fruits of the popular melon culture grow in the world. This is one of the favorite foods of the population of Uzbekistan. Melons are rich in glucose, vitamins that increase a person's vitality. They are used as an antidepressant, a cure for fatigue, a thirst quencher, and they are consumed both fresh and processed.

         We wanted to make sure that everyone from Kiev could taste the traditional gifts of nature growing in our homeland," says the Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Ukraine. We turned to our history and saw that this sweet and healthy culture occupies a prominent place in it. And it is not by chance that it is one of the most favorite products in Uzbekistan.

         Commenting on his participation in the festival, Director of the Institute of Political Analysis and International Studies Sergey Tolstov noted that melons of Uzbekistan are among the best in the world. He managed to visit Uzbekistan more than once and try different varieties of melon in the regions of the republic. This is one of his favorite foods. Melons are rich in glucose, vitamins that increase a person's vitality. Melons are consumed fresh, jam is made from them, the pulp is dried in summer.

        According to Sergey Tolstov, they are a favorite sweet dish for lunch, and in the evening, after a tiring hot day, they are used as a remedy to eliminate fatigue and thirst.

         He noted that melon has excellent rejuvenating properties, so it's not for nothing that they say in the east: "Melon makes hair shiny, eyes young, men strong, women beautiful, and opportunities turning into actions." In the old days, these fruits were revered as a heavenly delicacy. To date, the world science has registered 1600 varieties of melon: there are melons and huge (up to 10 kilograms) and very small (the size of an apple). 

         Experts from Arab countries participating in the event, in turn, noted that this agricultural crop is more than two thousand years old. The Arabs claim that the melon - the fruit of the gardens of paradise - was brought to Earth by one of the angels, having committed a terrible crime before God, for which he was expelled from Paradise. Tasting the sweet gifts of summer, you involuntarily begin to believe in a beautiful legend.

         Melons are rich in silicon. According to Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery named after M. Amosov Babajanov Kalandar Babajanovich, human life, his health, regulation of physiological processes is closely related to silicon. It affects hard tissues, the condition of the skin and hair. Silicon has a wonderful effect on the cerebral cortex, it is needed by nerves, intestinal walls, digestive tract and the entire system of internal organs.

         Melon contains more vitamin C than other melon crops. Fiber from melon has a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora, promotes the excretion of cholesterol from the body, improves the digestive process.

         After all, the juicy fragrant pulp of fruits contains easily digestible sugars, starch, proteins, vitamins, fiber, pectins, organic acids, various mineral salts," the professor noted. There are especially a lot of iron and potassium salts in fruits, and therefore melon is used in therapeutic nutrition for anemia, cardiovascular diseases, liver and kidney diseases, as well as gout and rheumatism.

         During the festival, residents and participants could enjoy the unique aroma and taste of the best varieties of melons "kukcha", "torpedo", "obi novvot", "buri kala", "gulobi", grown by Uzbek dehkans.

         It should be noted that the holiday was timed to the Independence Day of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The festivities took place at the Fairmont Hotel, where a real performance unfolded, which was decorated with performances of folk music and national dances.

         But the focus of attention in Kovun Saili, of course, was the heavenly fruit - in total, five varieties were presented here. Especially many noted the unsurpassed taste qualities of the Torpedo variety. Melon Torpedo in Uzbekistan is called Mirzachul melon. This is a late variety that tolerates transportation well. The pulp of the Torpedo is rich in useful substances, in addition, it has an unsurpassed taste and delicate aroma. And everyone could taste a piece of ripe pulp, again feeling the taste of the past summer. After all, it does not matter at all where the traditional Uzbek holiday is celebrated - in distant hot Tashkent or in cold, but so hospitable Kiev. The main thing is that everyone felt welcome on it and was able to enjoy the gifts of the southern melon.