What is a pomelo?
First of all: the pomelo is not a species name. Fruit and plant always belong to the real grapefruit, ie basically the different fruits (and also little trees) available in the trade as pomelos are always a type of grapefruit. However, there are differences. In German usage, the word “pomelo” usually refers to the product of a cross between grapefruit and grapefruit, whereby this result is more similar to a grapefruit than a grapefruit and is therefore also assigned to this type of citrus. There are pomelos with light and red pulp.
also read
- Exotic pomelo is in season all year round
- What is the difference between pomelo and grapefruit?
- The best time to harvest pomelo
Appearance of the pomelo fruit
The fruit of this cross also looks much more similar to a grapefruit than a grapefruit and is also almost as big. Pomelos are round or pear-shaped and usually weigh between 500 grams and up to two kilograms. The skin of a ripe pomelo is usually green to green-yellow. As with grapefruit, the rule that applies to pomelo is that the redder the flesh, the sweeter the fruit. The fruits contain a few large, angular, pale yellow seeds, egg-shaped in outline.
Pomelo or grapefruit?
For some years now, German supermarkets have been selling fruits under the name “pomelo”, but they are not a cross product, but real grapefruit. This sometimes leads to confusion, because the taste of the fruits is quite different. But how did this confusion of names come about? Quite simply: In English the grapefruit is usually called “pomelo” and is also known by this name, especially in Asia. So it happens that the pomelo is sold as a traditional Thai fruit, although it was actually only “invented” in Israel around 1970. To complete the confusion: in French and Spanish, the word “pomelo” means neither one nor the other, but refers to a grapefruit.
Honey pomelo
The honey pomelo (honey pomelo), which is mainly grown in southern China, is not a particularly sweet cross product, but a grapefruit grown by selection. It's not wrongly named because its juicy flesh is actually as sweet as honey and only slightly bitter.
Tips & Tricks
If you are looking for a particularly unusual type of citrus, then try the tangelo. This is a cross between grapefruit and tangerine, which is also known as minneola.
IJA
