Puglia’s “Carosello”, the Cucumber Imposter Facing Extinction

In Puglia, Italy, farmers grow carosello, a fruit botanically related to melons but often used as a cucumber, and it risks disappearing. The Institute of Food Sciences of the CNR of Bari and the University of Bari Aldo Moro have studied several local varieties of carosello, including the barese, Polignano, white leccese, and tondo di Manduria. Though often described as lacking bitter compounds found in cucumbers, recent research indicates that some carosello varieties do contain cucurbitacins.

Currently, approximately 100 hectares in Puglia are dedicated to carosello cultivation, with smaller areas in Sicily, Basilicata, Campania, Lazio, and Tuscany. The ISTAT, Italy’s national statistics institute, does not track carosello separately, and its market remains largely regional.

Its survival depends on home gardens and continued cultivation by those preserving agricultural biodiversity. The future of this unique fruit relies on maintaining traditional farming practices.