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Monday, January 28, 2008

POMELO (Green Skin/Pink Flesh)



Common Name: Pomelo
Vernacular Names: Pummelo, Shaddock, Chinese grapefruit
Botanical Name: Citrus maxima
Specimens From: Thailand
Specimens Weight: 1 kg [2 lb 2.7 oz]

Pomelo is the biggest citrus fruit, with some bigger than a soccer ball. It is native to South-east Asia and is now widely cultivated in many Asian countries and also in the Pacific. Pomelo is extremely popular during the Chinese lunar new year.

Pomelo is huge and tipping the scale, way above 5 kg is not uncommon. The specimen fruit photo shown is considered as 'mini' size.

The shape is usually slightly pear-shape or round. The skin color ranges from green to yellow. You can eat it even when it is green. The pulp can be clear, pale off-white, pink or almost red.

Eating pomelo takes a bit of effort as the skin is extremely thick but spongy. Use the tip of a sharp knife to make a one inch deep incision vertically down, from top to the bottom of the fruit. Repeat a few times round the fruit and peel off the skin slowly (refer to photo).

The taste is mildly sweet, aromatic and usually, does not have the strong acidic taste found in grapefruit. But do not bite on the membranes (the translucent segments containing the teardrop sacs) as it is very bitter. Most of the cutivars have only a few seeds but some of them can be seedy.

Pink Pomelo Juice

If you prefer to drink it, you may have pomelo juice! You may add sugar to sweeten the taste as pure pomelo juice may be slightly bitter.


View other fruits in the same family: Rutaceae [Citrus Family].


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17 comments:

myonlyphoto said...

I am big grapefruit eater, but this Pomelo is heavy, that is like 4 servings for me, and not sure if I want to call it mini, lol. Thanks for sharing, Anna :)

Nature Nut /JJ Loch said...

I think I would love Pomela better than grapefruit because of the grapefruit acidity.

Great post!!!

Hugs, JJ

Karin W. said...

Pomelo is a small pink elephant but he has a very long trunk. He is living under a dandelion flower in the garden. Therefore he is a garden elephant..... Pomelo - the fruit is much larger. Still, perhaps Pomelo (the elephant) likes pomelo.
Only joking, Pomelo only exists in a book for small children.

morinn said...

i love citrus fruits! i get a feeling i would like this one. but i dont know if it is available in mauritius

Kim said...

I've never heard of this one Fruity...
it really looks like a giant green orange...
I'm sure I would like it as I love oranges and grapefruit ...

Anonymous said...

I just love citrus fruit, but its hard to get them fresh in Norway :-(

Wishing you a great end to your week!

Fruity said...

Thanks for all your comments. I prefer pomelo to grapefruit too.
Fruity

Nessa said...

I prefer Pomelos with the pinkish flesh, taste sweeter. We normally eat it with a sprinkle of salt. Very nice :)

Ron Largent said...

I just got some dried pomelo from Trader Joe's and it is quite bitter. I have to eat it with raisins and some unsalted peanuts to make it taste fairly good. Any thoughts on why it is so bitter?
Thanks,
Ron Largent
www.ronlargent.com

Unknown said...

why sometimes pomelo taste bitter?? can anyone tell me??

Fruity said...

Some cultivars are slightly bitter, similar to grapefruit. Do not bite on the membranes as it is very bitter
Fruity

Lauren said...

I too just got some dried pomelo from Trader Joes, after becoming obsessed with pomelo during a recent trip to Southeast Asia (my travel blog.

Though the dried pomelo is a bit bitter, it's no worse than frisee or quinoa. It probably depends on your sensitivity and fondness for bitterness.

It was a great addition to an Asian chicken and rice salad. I'm in search of more uses for it.

Anonymous said...

This is exceptionally fantastic fruit. I love it.

suman
------------
Free Satellite TV

Anonymous said...

I just had my very first Pomelo and was disappointed. I love grapefruits. I love the juicyness of them as well as the taste. The Pomelo is no where near as juicy. The one that I bought was also expensive. $1.99 U.S. dollars. Grapefruits are 2 for a dollar right now, sometimes 3 for a dollar. The eatable part is exactly the same size as the Pomelo's edible portion. It was only okay. Sorry to you Pomelo lovers out there. I'll stick with my pink fleshed grapefruits.

Anonymous said...

Grapefruit can cause problems if taking certain medication, that is not the case with pomelo

Anonymous said...

My mom always buys those 5kg pomelos once a year, let it ripen for a month then eat it. It doesnt really taste good anyway

Tomislav said...

small remark, it's not in Rosaceae, but in Rutaceae.