Tesco is claiming a first with the launch of a watermelon with bright yellow flesh instead of red.
As well as having yellow flesh, the retailer is also claiming the fruit has a hint of a citrus taste as well.
The naturally grown variety is called Graciosa and contains none or very few tiny seeds, it is claimed.
Tesco said the fruit’s arrival would boost a sector which is already popular. Watermelon is the most popular variety of melon in the UK, with sales at Tesco up 114 per cent in the last year.
Damien Sutherland, melon buyer, said: “We have cantaloupes, honeydews and traditional watermelons but this is the most spectacular looking melon we’ve ever seen.
“For starters it has an eye catching pale green skin colour with dark green mottled stripes but when you cut it open people literally do a double take because of the bright yellow inside.
“But the most amazing aspect is the unique taste - melons are already one of the most refreshing fruits you can eat but this has a sweet, crisp and tropical flavour.”
The fruit is known by a variety of names around the world. In Spain, where Tesco gets its supplies, it is known as a Pineapple Melon but in America it is called a Golden Melon.
The fruit will now be marketed under Tesco’s Finest range as a Yellowfelsh Melon, and the retailer is hoping to appeal to dieters as it contains just 80 calories, one of the lowest calorific content of any fruit, and is fat free.
Damien Sutherland added: “With the current heat wave watermelons have one of our most in demand fruits and we expect the Yellowflesh to be extremely popular, especially as a treat for BBQs.
“It can also add some extra colour to fruit salad or be served with ham as a mouth watering entrée.”
The melon is a hybrid, created in Spain in 1992 by crossing other yellow flesh varieties with modern seedless melons.
