Cavaillon, in Central Provence, likes to think of itself as the world capital of melons and July is the best time to taste them. Its speciality is the Charantais: the small, round ones with blueish-green striped rind, deep orange flesh and an irresistible perfume.

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Legend has it that they were introduced to the area from Italy in the 14th century by the popes, who lived in nearby Avignon, although their fame spread only along with the expansion of the French railways 500 years later.

One of the Cavaillon melon's first, biggest and most famous fans was the prolific novelist Alexandre Dumas (pictured right) who, asked by the town in 1864 if he would contribute some of his work to the public library, replied in impeccably courteous terms.

"Have the kindness to inform Monsieur Tourel, your honourable Mayor, that I agree on one condition: if the town and the Cavaillon authorities think highly of my books, I also love their melons and I would like, in exchange for my 300 or 400 volumes, that a bylaw be passed awarding me a life annuity of 12 Cavaillon melons a year," Dumas wrote.

A famous gourmet (his Le Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine was published posthumously), he was, sadly, to enjoy only 72 melons before his death in 1870.

Like many French towns, Cavaillon fiercely promotes and protects its local delicacy: in 1987 an outfit named The Knights of the Order of the Melon was set up to this effect. All melons have to pass stringent quality controls and the majority are consumed locally rather than exported.

The Melon Festival (Fête du Melon) features all things cucurbit: melon tastings, melon markets, melon menus, a firework display and the inevitable pétanque tournament.

One leading local chef, Jean-Jacques Prévôt, offers cookery courses at his restaurant, where - if you like the sound of such concoctions - you can learn to prepare melon beignets or hamburgers with melon and foie gras, a dish which the chef rather cheekily names Le Mac Prévôt.

How to choose a ripe Charentais melon: Locals offer this insider tip for spotting a ripe Charentais melon - count the stripes. They should be a deep blueish-green colour and there should be ten of them. If there are nine or eleven stripes, the melon could be tasteless or past its best.

As with other types of melon, there are several other tests you can apply. The heavier the fruit the better, as ripe melons are engorged with juice and sugar. The stalk (le pécou) should be loose and easy to pull off and the melon should be richly perfumed around the base.