Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Pummello Pomelo, what's in a Fruit?

Pumello?
Pomelo?

More even than the correct spelling, this huge bin of fruits at Whole Foods had me intrigued. What were these things that looked like superhero-sized grapefruits.

So began my saga of the pomelo.

I was curious enough to actually remember when I got home, so I googled.

What I found was that the pomelo is a citrus fruit that's extremely high in potassium. So high that people on blood pressure medication are warned about them and others use them to control blood pressure.

Intriguing.

So I went back to Whole Foods.

No more pomelos. :(

I asked and they sent me over to a bin that looked like lemons. Ah, no. Wrong size.

Another clerk finally told me - no more pomelos.

I was sad. :(

So a few weeks later, after the cute dog had surgery, I was walking in a different neighborhood by the emergency hospital. Lo and behold - pomelos. I bought two!

I watched a video online about how to open them. This is where it gets interesting.



So once you get them open - the taste is wonderful. Sort of like a grapefruit, only sweeter. Less bitter.

Pictures to follow. They're on the wrong camera for me to upload. Oops.

In the meantime, have you ever eaten a pomelo?

19 comments:

  1. I tried a pomelo a couple years ago, but had no idea how to open it. I cut it in half like I would a grapefruit and ate it that way. It was a bit difficult to do, and there was a lot of waste that way, but it was delicious.

    Thanks for the video tutorial! I'm going to have to try another pomelo if I can find one this year!

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    1. They really do peel pretty easily, Jan. I find them a good snack because I have to work at it a bit so I don't just gobble it down.

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  2. Oh, I'm allergic to bananas but need the potassium. Tah dah!!!!! Now I just have to be on the hunt. Thanks for explaining! I've seen them at Fresh Market on an irregular basis.

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    1. I'll be curious to see the price of them down there, Julie. I'm seeing wide price ranges.

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  3. I have a brand new pomelo handsoap, and it smells like grapefruit... so I thought it was grapefruit. And then I came over here and got educated! I'm so happy right now, Mary Cate!!!! :)

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  4. I've never even heard of a pomelo let alone oooopined one (such a cute accent!!!) But man, that's a lot of work for a piece of fruit! And I wonder why they would be a winter treat in Sweden? I mean they have longer winters than our northern climes so you would think they wouldn't be able to grow them. Maybe it's like clementines are all the rage up here at Christmas.

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    1. LOL! You got the accent just right, Kav. :)

      Yeah, he said it was nice and brisk (or was it refreshing?) outside at -15 degrees!

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    2. I figured maybe he just meant something refreshing.

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  5. I've never tried one! But you've inspired me to do so. :)

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  6. Not only have I never tried a pomelo, Mary Cate, I've never even heard of them. You always post the most interesting stuff. Might have to seek one out. Thanks.

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  7. We have them in our local grocery store in the winter. Without the fancy wrapping, but just the piles of pomelos. My kids don't care for them. They actually prefer the ruby red grapefruit or the regular grapefruit. Are pomelos higher in nutrients? Maybe I should buy more of them.

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    1. The only part I focused on was the potassium because I was looking for foods to get more potassium in my diet. According to Mr. Google, pomelo's have 1,315 mg, whereas a grapefruit has anywhere from 2 - 300 mg. depending on size.

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  8. Reading the other comments, now I'm curious why pomelos would be so much more common in Oregon that NY or SD or wherever. Hmmm... They're really not rare here. They're in the store about the same time as clementines and about as long. Probably two months during the Christmas season.

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    1. What I found interesting was the price difference. My friend in Alabama could only find them for $4.99 each. I got them in Trader Joe's for $1.99.

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    2. Virginia, I wondered the same thing when you mentioned how plentiful they are there. Our store usually only has a few in the "exotic" fruit area--like with papayas and mangos and key limes.

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  9. I don't know why it won't let me respond to you, Ruthy, but yes, they do smell like grapefruit!

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