Pomelos of the World

After having only eaten Pomelos from the US (and hence, not a "real" pomelo but rather an adulterated grapefruit), I have finally discovered just why pomelos are so wonderful. I found some authentic pomelos from China being sold in Chinatown for a piddly $2 a pop! Wow! I'd always heard how the pomelos here not only didn't look quite right (both shape and flesh color), the taste wasn't great. I found it slightly different tasting from a grapefruit, but otherwise, tasted like a glorified grapefruit. The Chinese ones are a different beast! Not only are they not necessarily perfectly round (often somewhat pointy tipped where the stem was), the flesh is a different color as well. However, the flesh can vary from a pinkish to a greenish tone. The ones I bought were a translucent light greenish white. The flavor, though...mmmm....it's a wonderful citrusy aroma in the mouth reminiscent of a sweet lime! The CA pomelos totally lacked that citrus scent. They're downright boring in comparison. Actually, I've found that a lot of oranges lack a citrus flavor and are really more sweet juice than anything else. Is that farming science gone wrong? Trying to market something sweet rather than complex in flavor? Indeed, I'm finding a lot of US fruit to be rather one dimensioned in flavor. If you can find real Chinese pomelos, by all means, buy them and savor the wonderful flavor! And just like other citrus fruits, the best are heavy for their size.