Spirits are divided as to what the pomelo - a large, rather sweet-tasting citrus fruit from the grapefruit family - actually is. Because under this name a whole range of quite different citrus fruits gathers.
What is a pomelo?
First of all, the pomelo is not a species designation. Fruit and plant always belong to the real grapefruits, i. H. Basically, the various fruits (and also trees) that are commercially available 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 pampelmuse and grapefruit, whereby this result is more similar to a pomelo than to a grapefruit and is therefore also assigned to this citrus species. There are pomelos with light and red flesh.
Appearance of the pomelo fruit
The fruit of this hybrid also looks a lot more like a grapefruit than a grapefruit and is 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 tastes. The fruits contain a few large, angular, ovate in outline, pale yellow seeds.
Pomelo or grapefruit?
For a number of years, German supermarkets have been selling fruit under the name “pomelo”, which, however, is not a hybrid 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? Very simple: In English, the grapefruit is usually called "pomelo" and is also known by this name, especially in Asia. So it is that the pomelo is listed as a traditional Thai fruit, although it was actually only "invented" in Israel around 1970. To add to the confusion, in French and Spanish, the word "pomelo" means neither, but denotes a grapefruit.
Honey Pomelo
The honey pomelo, which is mainly grown in southern China, is also not a particularly sweet hybrid product, but a grapefruit bred through selection. It does not bear its name wrongly, because its juicy flesh is actually as sweet as honey and only slightly bitter.
tips and tricks
If you are looking for a particularly unusual type of citrus, then try the Tangelo. This is a hybrid of grapefruit and tangerine, also known as Minneola.
IJA