What is a pomelo? After visiting Kratie in Cambodia I was drawn to a place called Koh Trong. In said undiscovered island I was to see trees with HUGE fruits on them called Pomelo. I was also to stay n a place called Pomelo Homestay. I had to know, what is a pomelo???
To read about Koh Trong click here
On arrival at hotel they did the smart thing and presented a pomelo. I immediately ended up in an argument with a Khmer about said fruit. They were to insist that a grapefruit and a pomelo were one and the same. At least in their language that is the case. Not so in English. I had to investigate. What is a pomelo wondered I, and would Al Gores internet be able to tell me?
What is a pomelo then?
A pomelo was the ORIGINAL citrus fruit. Do you like oranges? Limes? Calamansi? Well the internet was to inform me that pomelo is the grandfather of all citrus fruits. Yep thank pomelo for your OJ baby. So, it is a non-hybrid fruit. This means it has not been crossbred with anything. It is the real McCoy!
To read more about calamansi click here .
Where is pomelo from?
Originally south-east Asia. It turns out they grow a lot of it on Koh Trong. If you visit here get used to being served it a lot. Or better still being given a huge one to take away as a gift.
Different between pomelo and a grapefruit?
It turns out they took a pomelo to the Caribbean and mixed it up a bit. The pomelo is non-hybrid. That’s like being a thoroughbred dog. OK, so then there was an accidental cross-breeding with a sweet orange. Voila the grapefruit was born. The grapefruit thus looks more like an orange, but has the sour bitterness of a pomelo.
The grapefruit was thus accidentally invented in Caribbean accidentally when pomelo was taken to Barbados. Got it?
For a long time the grapefruit was known as the “forbidden fruit”. I’d go into the story, but its pretty boring and I assume has something Biblical to it.
How does Pomelo look and taste?
I’m not a huge grapefruit fan, but the pomelo has a subtle bitterness and is sweet enough to easily snack on. It does not have the twang of a bitter orange and you can literally rip the flesh off. It is green on the outside and the flesh is grey. I Initially thought it was a jackfruit.
Incidentally if you want to know the difference between Jackfruit and Durian click here .
Conclusion on the pomelo
Enough already what is pomelo? I’ll conclude things. I love citrus fruits, pomelo is the grandfather of all citrus fruits. I give huge kudos to the pomelo. If you’re in South-East Asia get one, rip it apart and get munching.
So, in case you were wondering “what is a pomelo”? We hope to have answered said question!
Oh and if I find a liquor made with pomelo I will literally lose my shit. That search still remains……..
