Pomelo

What it is

A pomelo can be round or pear-shaped, measuring 10–30 cm (4–12 in) across. Its skin ranges from greenish-yellow to yellow, and the flesh inside can be pale yellow or pink.

Chandler has pink flesh, from light to deep pink depending on where it grows. Reinking is pale yellow, juicy and slightly tart, with plenty of seeds. Eating either takes two rounds of peeling: first the thick rind, then the skin around each segment, leaving the clusters of juicy flesh.

Where it comes from

Pomelo comes from Southeast Asia, including Malaysia. It is much grown in southern China and southern Thailand, and also in Taiwan, southernmost Japan and southern India.

Chandler takes a different route: it was bred in Riverside, California, by crossing Siamese Pink and Siamese Sweet pomelos. Released in 1961, it combines pink flesh with a sweet flavour.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Thailand, yum som-o is a pomelo salad with toasted coconut, peanuts and herbs. Palm sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and chilies make a sweet, sour, salty dressing. It can accompany rice, or be tucked into wild betel leaves as little wraps.

In Asia, pomelo also belongs on the Mid-Autumn Festival table. Its round shape and harvest time connect the fruit with the moon.

How it's grown

Pomelo grows on an evergreen tree that can reach 5–15 m (16–50 ft). It likes full sun and the warmth of the lowland tropics, where its fragrant, yellow-white flowers can appear two or three times a year. Most pomelos in Asia grow from seed; the best varieties are kept by budding them onto a citrus rootstock. In Thailand, fruit for market is picked as the skin starts turning yellow.

When and where you'll find it

In California, Pearson Ranch sells whole pomelos online; on its fruit, the skin is usually still green in mid-November and turns fully yellow by early January. In Riverside, Chandler and Reinking usually ripen from December through February.

In Fujian, in southern China, pomelos usually enter their peak harvest in early October.