While Shon and I were shopping at Costco today, we stumbled upon this huge fruit called the pommelo. I'll try almost anything once - expecially if it's a fruit or vegetable - so, we bought them. Shon was so excited about tasting them he couldn't wait till we got home so I found a sharp object in the glove department and cut into the orange type skin. It took quite a bit of strength to tear away the thick skin because the white rind underneath is very dense and smelled a little bit like grapefruit with a strong undertone of orchids. It looked like we might never find the meat of the fruit! Once I got half of it pealed I was able to put my finger in the center and tear it in half. Then I had to tear away the membrane that surrounded the first wedge. It was well worth the effort to finally enjoy the juicy, sweet meat inside. It is very much like a grapefruit, only the meat is much less bitter. Shon said, "They must grow on very tall trees for God to have put that much insulation in them." I looked it up and it's true, the pommelo tree grows to hights of 50' or more! It sure is a good thing God knows what he is doing!
The pommelo is going into my book as a fruit I would eat as often as it presents itself. Not good enough to seek out, but certainly worth the money once it's found.Interesting facts:
- Native to Malaysia (where it still grows abundantly and wild).
- A large pomelo is the largest of all citrus. They can grow to be as large as a foot in diameter and up to 25 pounds.
- The rind is very thick but soft and easy to peel away.
- In cooking, the pomelo can be used anywhere where grapefruit is suggested.
- The rind is sometimes candied or used in jams.
- The Chinese boil the skins and the leaves of the pomelo to prepare a ceremonial bath to "ritually cleanse a person and repel evil".
I suggest you try one!
