2009.01.06
Pummelo virgin
There I was, standing in the produce department at my local grocery store on Sunday, staring at these giant green grapefruits. As often as I scour the produce departments for unusual fruits and vegetables, you would've thought I'd have seen one of these strange citrus fruits before.
It was almost as big as my head, lemony-lime green on the outside. I could tell the rind was very thick. I wondered if it was some new-fangled hybrid, like orange cauliflower. Then I read what information was presented there on the display and discovered it is a type of grapefruit. Hmm.
Fast-forward to today, when my sister sends me an e-mail out of the blue asking "What is a pummelo and what does it taste like? I just saw some in my grocery store." I dug out the trusty Food Lover's Companion and discovered that pummelos (also sometimes spelled pomelo or pommelo) is believed to be an ancestor to the grapefruit. It is native to Malaysia, in season now, and ranges from sweet to tart and from very juicy to somewhat dry on the inside. The fruit can be used in any of the ways you would use a grapefruit.
Here's the best part: they range in size from cantaloupe-sized to as large as a 25-pound watermelon. Can you see yourself sitting at the table eating half of one of those pummelos? You'd need a shovel, not a grapefruit spoon. The next time I go to the grocery store, I'm going to buy a pummelo and see if I luck into a juicy, sweet one. I'd be interested to hear whether any of you guys are familiar with the fruit.
It looks delicious!
Comment by Michelle — January 6, 2009 @ 1:14 pm
I had a grapefruit tree in my backyard in FL. Thank goodness it wasn't a Pummelo tree. My kids could've been killed or maimed picking citrus for breakfast.
Seriously though, I can't believe I haven't heard of this gargantuan grapefruit.
Comment by Amy Hanek — January 6, 2009 @ 4:03 pm
I think that's the same thing I bought at the Towers Kroger a few weeks ago. It had a sticker on it that said Cocktail Grapefruit, and that they are ripe when they're green. I bought one just to see what it tastes like and it's delicious. It looks like a grapefruit but it's sweet, or at least the one I bought was.
Comment by Debbie — January 6, 2009 @ 6:20 pm
Amy, you crack me up.
I saw Cocktail Grapefruit at my grocery store too, Debbie! I think they were Melissa's brand. Melissa's does a lot of organic and special produce for grocery stores. I considered buying one, but they were all banged-up looking. I will check them out again next time I go.
Comment by lindseynair — January 6, 2009 @ 6:36 pm
just had to let you know that i got one of these from kroger, was really good size for 2.50 and yes the rind is thick almost 3/4 of an inch, but my mom loves grapefruit and she loved it, it was juicy and sweet and she said almost exactly tasted like a regular grapefruit, and my youngest loved drinking the juice it had left after the fruit was out of the rind.
so if you like grapefruit you def need to try one of these.
Comment by opal — January 8, 2009 @ 8:24 am