Anyone ever eat one of these? I bought one on a whim yesterday and it was
*horrible*. Dry and tough, with very uneven segments that were very hard
to separate. Everthing I read on the web says they're sweet and juicy,
and the segments look almost grapefruit like. I'm wondering if these
showed up here in a Buffalo NY supermarket because they were dumping off a
particularly bad batch(?)

MK

In article >,
Michael L Kankiewicz > wrote:
>Anyone ever eat one of these?

I found them to taste more bitter than grapefruits (and if you want
good grapefruits, the Texas ruby reds are hard to beat, especially
when bought directly off the grower's truck....), and the pomelo I
ate had more segments than I wanted to deal with.

They're popular in southeast Asia, at least I see them a lot when
I go to Singapore. If they come from Asia, then we in the U.S.
probably get the rejected ones that Asians wouldn't eat. Sort of
like Durian - it's great in Singapore, but the Durians we get here
are from Thailand, were picked before fully ripe, then frozen on the
trip, and are just terrible when they gets here (compared to what
you get in Asia).

I suspect something similar happens with pomelos.

The U.S. does the same thing to Europe with oranges. When I
was getting my MBA, a representative from Minute Maid orange
juice visited our class to give a lecture about the orange juice
business, to talk about quality control, distribution, sources,
price fluctuations, quality grades, etc. He said people in the U.S.
have ready access to good oranges from Florida and California, and
know what a good orange is supposed to taste like, so Minute Maid
has to take that into account when selling OJ to the U.S. market.

On the other hand, Europeans, in general, have no clue what a *good*
orange tastes like, so Minute Maid ships their low-quality swill
over there (they could never sell in the U.S.). The Europeans
gobble it up. Try some Minute Maid orange juice when you go to
Germany - it's noticeably inferior.

My parents in Florida have frequent guests from Europe (my Dad does
business there), and I remember the guests were uniformly amazed at
how citrus products in Florida tasted.

-A

On Thu, 4 Dec 2003 11:24:06 -0500, Michael L Kankiewicz
> wrote:

>
>Anyone ever eat one of these? I bought one on a whim yesterday and
it was
>*horrible*. Dry and tough, with very uneven segments that were very
hard
>to separate. Everthing I read on the web says they're sweet and
juicy,
>and the segments look almost grapefruit like. I'm wondering if these
>showed up here in a Buffalo NY supermarket because they were dumping
off a
>particularly bad batch(?)
>
>MK

We have plenty of Pomelos in Hawaii and I can tell you that as a kid,
my grandmother's Pomelo tree was so good. Huge juicy sweet fruit,
originally from Tahiti, I think. However, we have a Pomelo tree on
our road that must be terribly sour because even the wild chickens
won't taste it. I know that it depends on what Pomelo tree one gets
the fruit from. Sorry for your bad experience and no one should be
selling a junk Pomelo.

In many fruits, like avocado, Jack Fruit, guava etc, the tree one gets
the fruit from-- Really Matters. We have many wild trees of things
here and we know to be selective.
aloha,
Thunder


http://www.smithfarms.com
Farmers & Sellers of 100%
Kona Coffee & other Great Stuff

On Thu, 4 Dec 2003 11:24:06 -0500,
Michael L Kankiewicz > wrote:
>
> Anyone ever eat one of these? I bought one on a whim yesterday and it was
> *horrible*. Dry and tough, with very uneven segments that were very hard
> to separate. Everthing I read on the web says they're sweet and juicy,
> and the segments look almost grapefruit like. I'm wondering if these
> showed up here in a Buffalo NY supermarket because they were dumping off a
> particularly bad batch(?)


I've seen them here (SW Ohio) in stores too, but haven't tried
them. We did buy some on our trip to Malaysia this summer in
Ipoh-- along one of the streets was stand after stand selling pomelos,
white coffee and other snacks, all with young women standing outside
to entice the customers. One of them let us sample a piece of pomelo,
and it was slightly sweet, very juicy--not as strong citrusy flavored
as an orange or grapefruit, IMO. When we bought a couple, she asked
if we wanted a sweet one or a sour/bitter one. (No idea how she could
differentiate!) We asked for sweet. It did have a very thick rind
(my dad tells me this too, can be stewed and eaten) and it was okay,
nothing I'd kill for, but a good source of liquid in that hot
climate. Then again, I'm not that fond of oranges and grapefruit,
either.

Here's a pic of my sister and Dad buying pomelos:

http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=...21b358ab30e439

FWIW, the ones I see here are significantly smaller and rather
uneven colored... I didn't stop to see where they came from, but it's
certainly a possibility that we're getting inferior produce and/or
that it doesn't travel well.

Ariane

Smithfarms Pure Kona wrote:

> http://www.smithfarms.com

Oh my God, I've been looking for you, couldn't find you. I'd like
to place an order. I hope you can ship it to me by Christmas.

nancy

MK asked about pomelos:

> Anyone ever eat one of these? I bought one on a whim yesterday and it was
> *horrible*. Dry and tough, with very uneven segments that were very hard
> to separate. Everthing I read on the web says they're sweet and juicy,
> and the segments look almost grapefruit like. I'm wondering if these
> showed up here in a Buffalo NY supermarket because they were dumping off a
> particularly bad batch(?)

I answered a similar question last March. Here, through the magic of Google,
I do so again:


KathyBorn asked:

> I bought a Pommelo at a Latin food market. Sort of like giant grapefruit.
> peeled the thick skin off but the flesh was pretty dry and not too tasty.
> Did I get a bummer or is that what a Pommelo is like?

That's what pomelo is like, but don't condemn it too quickly: The peel of
the fruit can be candied, so the extremely thick rind is what you should be
buying pomelos for. There's a section about pomelos in Elizabeth
Schneider's excellent book _Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables, a Commonsense
Guide_. Here's an excerpt:

USE: Once you've removed all pith and membrane, you can use the pummelo
as you would grapefruit sections. Since the flesh tends to dryness, a
light sugar syrup, poured warm over the sections, will enhance the fruit.

PREPARATION: Every bit of the heavy pith and membrane must be removed
from a pummelo before it is edible. Cut off the ends of the fruit, score
the thick slices, and peel off pith and rind together in thick pieces, so
you can candy it later on.

Hope this helps!

Bob

Michael L Kankiewicz wrote:
>
> Anyone ever eat one of these? I bought one on a whim yesterday and it was
> *horrible*. Dry and tough, with very uneven segments that were very hard
> to separate. Everthing I read on the web says they're sweet and juicy,
> and the segments look almost grapefruit like. I'm wondering if these
> showed up here in a Buffalo NY supermarket because they were dumping off a
> particularly bad batch(?)

I asked here some years ago, what did I buy? What's a pomelo? Just
thought I'd try something new. Well, I forget the answer, I seem to
remember it was was a cross between a grapefruit and whatever. First,
by the time you peeled it, it was the size of an orange, the peel is
so thick. Then, after that waste of time, I was very not impressed.

nancy

Michael L Kankiewicz wrote:
>> Anyone ever eat one of these? I bought one on a whim yesterday and
>> it was *horrible*. Dry and tough, with very uneven segments that
>> were very hard to separate. Everthing I read on the web says they're
>> sweet and juicy, and the segments look almost grapefruit like. I'm
>> wondering if these showed up here in a Buffalo NY supermarket because
>> they were dumping off a particularly bad batch(?)

The ones I've had from the farmer's markets here in San Francisco have
been great - sweet and juicy, as you read. They're similar to grapefruit
in flavor, but sweeter. The rind is very thick and foamy, so it's hard
to tell how ripe they are by squeezing them or sniffing them. I haven't
had any that were actually unripe, but some have had an annoying number
of seeds that needed to be picked out.

The largest ones I've seen have been almost a foot in diameter (!), and
even with the thick rind, that comes out to be more fruit than you want
to eat in one sitting.

Blake

--
The listed "From:" address is valid for one week past the message date.

I lived in Hawaii next door to a woman who had pomelo's in her back yard.
They were at their best, picked right from the tree to my door. She gave me
several, but I never asked for more. They didn't have much taste to me. I
see they sell these for an exhorbitant price at many grocery stores, even
Costco, and I'm always tempted to tell persons looking over these 'things'
to forget it, but I hold my tongue.

They didn't taste sweet and juicy to me -- even remotely.

Dee





"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
...
> Michael L Kankiewicz wrote:
> >
> > Anyone ever eat one of these? I bought one on a whim yesterday and it
was
> > *horrible*. Dry and tough, with very uneven segments that were very
hard
> > to separate. Everthing I read on the web says they're sweet and juicy,
> > and the segments look almost grapefruit like. I'm wondering if these
> > showed up here in a Buffalo NY supermarket because they were dumping off
a
> > particularly bad batch(?)
>
> I asked here some years ago, what did I buy? What's a pomelo? Just
> thought I'd try something new. Well, I forget the answer, I seem to
> remember it was was a cross between a grapefruit and whatever. First,
> by the time you peeled it, it was the size of an orange, the peel is
> so thick. Then, after that waste of time, I was very not impressed.
>
> nancy

Hey Michael:

I don't know what happened to the Pomelo's you got. However, they are
sweeter than Grapefruit. However, they do taste like Grapefruit. I
know some people have posted that they are more bitter than
Grapefruit. I have never heard of a Pomelo being more bitter than
Grapefruit. However, keep in mind that the soil, any fertilizer,
spermicide and weather does have its effect on the fruit.

In fact when I lived in Florida, I had fruit trees in my backyard.
The first year I lived there the Oranges were sweet and so juicy they
were impossible to eat without making a mess. The second year
however, they same tree gave smaller oranges, they were not as sweet
and they were pretty dry.

Well the lady that lived there before I had bought the house, would
get the trees fertilized, and treated every year. Also the year
before I had bought the house, there had been more than the usual
rainfall for the entire year.

Once I moved in I never fertilized the trees, and it was a very very
dry year.
What I'm trying to say is that all things being the same Pomelo is
sweeter than Grapefruit.


Michael L Kankiewicz > wrote in message >...
> Anyone ever eat one of these? I bought one on a whim yesterday and it was
> *horrible*. Dry and tough, with very uneven segments that were very hard
> to separate. Everthing I read on the web says they're sweet and juicy,
> and the segments look almost grapefruit like. I'm wondering if these
> showed up here in a Buffalo NY supermarket because they were dumping off a
> particularly bad batch(?)
>
> MK

pomelo; pommelo; pummelo [pom-EH-loh]
This giant citrus fruit is native to Malaysia (where it still grows abundantly)
and thought to be ancestor to the grapefruit. Like grapefruits, pomelos vary
greatly in color, size and shape. They range from cantaloupe-size to as large
as a 25-pound watermelon and have very thick, soft rind that can vary in color
from yellow to pale yellowish-brown to pink. The light yellow to coral-pink
flesh can vary from juicy to slightly dry and from seductively spicy-sweet to
tangy and tart. The pomelo is also called shaddock after an English sea
captain who introduced the seed to the West Indies. The French name for this
fruit is chadec. Choose fruit that is heavy for its size, blemish-free and
sweetly fragrant. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Pomelos may be
used in any way suitable for grapefruit. They're high in vitamin C and
potassium. The pomelo is also called Chinese grapefruit .

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995
based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.



---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
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Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

Michael L Kankiewicz > wrote:

> Anyone ever eat one of these? I bought one on a whim yesterday and it was
> *horrible*. Dry and tough, with very uneven segments that were very hard
> to separate. Everthing I read on the web says they're sweet and juicy,
> and the segments look almost grapefruit like. I'm wondering if these
> showed up here in a Buffalo NY supermarket because they were dumping off a
> particularly bad batch(?)

For what it is worth, the local oriental market near me had a big
display of blanco oro grapefruit. I love these as they are very, very
sweet and juicy. The sticker on the bottom of the fruits said that they
were pomelos grown in California. Very thick skinned and sweet and
juicy.

They can be very bitter if picked early. When in season and fully ripe,
quite sweet. The produce man at the market suggested some salt. I
would not do so as I love them straight up when in season.

What you got was a large lemon!

Ross Bernheim