There is a debate about what the pomelo – a large, rather sweet-tasting citrus fruit from the grapefruit family – actually is. Because a whole range of quite different citrus fruits comes together under this name.
What types of pomelo are there?
The most common pomelo varieties are the classic pomelo (a cross between a pomelo and a grapefruit) and the honey pomelo (a pomelo bred through selection). The fruits can have light or red flesh, with redder flesh providing a sweeter taste.
What is a pomelo?
First of all: The pomelo is not a species name. The fruit and plant are always considered to be true grapefruits, i.e. H. Basically, the various fruits (and also trees) available commercially 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 a pomelo and a grapefruit, whereby this result is more similar to a pomelo than a grapefruit and is therefore also assigned to this type of citrus. There are pomelos with light and red flesh.
Pomelo fruit appearance
The fruit of this cross also looks much more similar to a pomelo than a grapefruit and is almost the same size. Pomelos are round or pear-shaped and usually weigh between 500 grams and up to two kilograms. The peel of a ripe pomelo is usually green to green-yellow. As with grapefruit, the rule also applies to pomelo: the redder the flesh, the sweeter the fruit tastes. The fruits contain a few large, angular, egg-shaped, pale yellow seeds.
Pomelo or grapefruit?
For several years now, fruits have been offered in German supermarkets under the name “Pomelo”, which, however, are not a hybrid product, but real grapefruits. This sometimes leads to confusion because the fruits differ quite a bit in taste. But how could this confusion of names come about? It's 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, even though 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, which is primarily grown in southern China, is not a particularly sweet cross-breed product, but rather a grapefruit bred through selection. It doesn't bear its name wrongly, because its juicy flesh is actually as sweet as honey and only slightly bitter.
Tips & Tricks
If you're looking for a particularly unusual type of citrus, then try the Tangelo. This is a cross between grapefruit and mandarin, also known as Minneola.
