Pomelo

The pomelo (or pummelo, pommelo or shaddock), Citrus maxima (Merr., Burm. f.), also Citrus grandis (L.), is a citrus fruit, usually a pale green to yellow when ripe, larger than a grapefruit, with sweet flesh and thick spongy rind.

Related Topics:
Merr. - Burm. f. - L. - Citrus - Grapefruit

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The pomelo is native to southeastern Asia and all of Malaysia and grows wild on river banks in the Fiji and Friendly Islands. It may have been introduced into China around 100 B.C. It is much cultivated in southern China (Kwang-tung, Kwangsi and Fukien Provinces) and especially in southern Thailand on the banks to the Tha Chine River; also in Taiwan and southernmost Japan, southern India, Malaya, Indonesia, New Guinea and Tahiti. It is also grown commercially elsewhere, particularly California and Israel.

Related Topics:
California - Israel

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The pomelo is also called shaddock after an English sea captain, Captain Shaddock, who introduced the seed to the West Indies in the 17th Century from the Malay Archipelago.

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The pulp color ranges between clear pale yellow to pink to red, and tastes like a sweet grapefruit. It is the largest citrus fruit, growing as large as 30 cm in diameter and weighing as much as 10 kg; the peel is thick, and sometimes used to make marmalade.

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The grapefruit is a hybrid between the pomelo and the orange. In some markets, grapefruits or pomelo/grapefruit crosses will also be sold as "pomelo" or "pummelo".

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