The Pummelo

So Kristyn and I went to Smith's the other day to buy apples (for apple crisp) and tortillas (not for apple crisp). After picking out some delicious apples we turned around to head to the tortillas and were greeted by the citrus section. A little table in front of the grapefruits caught our eye because there were these green citrus fruits bigger than grapefruits sitting there. Now I wasn't aware of any edible citrus fruit bigger than grapefruits, and neither was Kristyn, so we, in our awe, decided to buy one and try it out.

We brought it home and before eating it we checked it out on Wikipedia. Apparently it's quite a common fruit in Asia and is actually grown in large production here in the U.S. Who would have thought? It is also supposed to taste like a milder, sweeter grapefruit. Not being a big fan of grapefruit (I think they're gross) I was quite worried. They have quite a thick rind, so we decided to eat it like a grapefruit.

We cut it and each took half. I labored greatly at getting out the first section (not being experienced with grapefruits--see above), and in doing so got a nice squirt of pummelo juice in my face. Finally scooping out the fruit I took a bite. It didn't taste very sweet to me. It just tasted like a mild grapefruit. I struggled, but I finally finished the whole thing. Luckily Kristyn enjoyed it much more than I did. We determined that it might not have been ripe yet, as it is supposed to turn more yellow, according to Wikipedia. But in the end I don't think we'll be buying a pummelo again.

So if you're a fan of grapefruit and up for a new adventure, you may find a new delight in the pummelo (or pomelo as some spell it). But if you're like me and not big on bitter fruit, this is one experience you might want to pass up.