Tuesday, January 06, 2009

I tried a new fruit!

Ever heard of a pomelo?


Pomelos, or pummelos, originated in Asia. They are extraordinarily large citrus fruits and have a very fragrant smell when you pick one up in the store. Martha and I were at the grocery store this evening and she pointed to what appeared to be gargantuan grapefruit. "What the heck is THAT?" she asked.

I actually had never heard of a pummelo before. Apparently pummelos were what they crossed with tangerines to create the hybrid tangelo. I always wondered how that name came to be, and now I get it. Any-hoo, the pomelo/pummelo/whatevs had to come home with me.

I bought one because it really was rather fragrant, and because I adore grapefruit. I figured it probably tasted something like that, and I'm game to try new stuff.

Once I got it home, I began to peel it. The skin is extremely thick, soft and pithy, making it fairly easy to peel. The membranes between the segments, like grapefruit, are thick and easy to remove to get at the segments.


Each segment had numerous teeny-tiny seeds, but they weren't too difficult to get rid of. The flavor of the pulp reminded me very much of ruby-red grapefruit -- sweet and not bitter at all, and very VERY fragrant. Just peeling that thing made the house smell amazing.

Give it a try if you see it in the grocery store. It's fun to try new stuff, you know, and this particular item won't seem unfamiliar once you taste it. It's yummy.

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