Tropical Synapses

We have an old citrus tree in our front yard which bears pomelo most of the year:

The pomelo is an exotic large citrus fruit that is an ancient ancestor of the common grapefruit, which is actually a hybrid of the ancient pomelo and an orange. In fact, most types of today's oranges and grapefruits were produced by hybridization of products of crosses between the mandarin orange and the pomelo. The pomelo originated in southeast Asia, likely around Malaysia where it still grows wild. It was later introduced to Fiji and from there into Polynesia, and was grown in China by 200 B.C.

The pomelo is sweeter than the grapefruit, despite the grapefruit's being a cross with the still sweeter orange. It is the largest of the citrus fruits with a shape that can be fairly round or slightly pointed at one end (the fruit ranges from nearly round to oblate or pear-shaped). They range from cantaloupe-size to as large as a medium sized round watermelon and have very thick, soft rind. The skin is a pale green to yellow color,and the flesh color ranges from yellow-pink to red. The whitish membranes between the segments are tough and harsh and are usually peeled away from the segments before they are eaten.

In one cup (190 g) of pomelo, there are only 72 calories, but 116 mg (193% MDR) of vitamin C. Traces of minerals and other vitamins round out this wholesome food.