POMELO

The pomelo, Citrus maxima or Citrus grandis, is the largest citrus fruit from the Rutaceae family. It is a natural (non-hybrid) citrus fruit, similar in appearance to a large grapefruit, native to South and Southeast Asia. The pomelo is one of the original citrus species from which the rest of cultivated citrus have been hybridized. The popular fruit is used in many festive celebrations throughout Southeast Asia.

The typical pomelo is much larger than the grapefruit, and also has a much thicker rind. It tastes like a sweet, mild grapefruit (believed to be a hybrid of Citrus maxima and the orange). The flesh has none, or very little, of the common grapefruit's bitterness. The enveloping membranous material around the segments is bitter, considered inedible, and usually discarded.

The fruit is said to have been introduced to Japan by a Cantonese captain in the An'ei era (1772–1781).[10] There are two varieties: a sweet kind with white flesh and a sour kind with pinkish flesh, the latter more likely to be used as an altar decoration than eaten. Pomelos often are eaten in Asia during the mid-autumn festival or mooncake festival.