Pomelo

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the etymology of the word "pomelo" is uncertain.[3] It may be derived from Dutch pompelmoes.[2] Its botanical name, Citrus maxima, means "biggest citrus". In English, the word "pomelo" (also spelled pomello, pummelo, pommelo, pumelo) has become the more common name, although "pomelo" has historically been used for grapefruit. (The 1973 printing of the American Heritage Dictionary, for example, gives grapefruit as the only meaning of "pomelo.")

After a captain Shaddock of an East India Company ship introduced it to Barbados, the fruit was called "shaddock" in English.[4][5] From there the name spread to Jamaica in 1696.[6] The fruit is also known as jabong in Hawaii and jambola in varieties of English spoken in South Asia.[2]

The pomelo tree may be 16–50 ft (5–15 m) tall, possibly with a crooked trunk 4–12 in (10–30 cm) thick, and low-hanging, irregular branches.[2] Leaf petioles are distinctly winged, with alternate, ovate or elliptic shapes 2–8 in (5–20 cm) long, with a leathery, dull green upper layer, and hairy underleaf.[2] The flowers — single or in clusters — are fragrant and yellow-white in color.[2]

The fruit is large, 6–10 in (15–25 cm) in diameter,[7] usually weighing 2–4 lb (1–2 kg). It has a thicker rind than a grapefruit,[2] and is divided into 11 to 18 segments. The flesh tastes like a mild grapefruit, with little of its common bitterness (the grapefruit is a hybrid of the pomelo and the orange).[2][8] The enveloping membranes around the segments are chewy and bitter, considered inedible, and usually discarded.[2] There are two varieties: a sweet kind with white flesh, and a sour kind with pinkish flesh, the latter more likely to be used in ceremonies, rather than eaten.[2] The fruit generally contains few, relatively large seeds, but some varieties have numerous seeds.[2]

The juice is regarded as delicious, and the rind is used to make preserves or may be candied.[2] In Brazil, the thick skin may be used for making a sweet conserve, while the spongy pith of the rind is discarded. In Sri Lanka, it is often eaten as a dessert, sometimes sprinkled with sugar. In large parts of Southeast Asia where pomelo is native, it is a common dessert, often sprinkled with, or dipped in, a salt mixture. It is eaten in salads.[2] In the Philippines, a pink beverage is made from pomelo and pineapple juice.[9]

The fruit may have been introduced to China around 100 BC.[2] In East Asia, especially in Cantonese cuisine, braised pomelo pith is used to make dishes that are high in fibre and nutritional value and low in fat.[10]

Pomelo, raw

Flesh of a pomelo
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	159 kJ (38 kcal)
Carbohydrates	9.62 g
Dietary fiber	1 g
Fat	0.04 g
Protein	0.76 g
Vitamins	Quantity %DV†
Thiamine (B1)	3% 0.034 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	2% 0.027 mg
Niacin (B3)	1% 0.22 mg
Vitamin B6	3% 0.036 mg
Vitamin C	73% 61 mg
Minerals	Quantity %DV†
Iron	1% 0.11 mg
Magnesium	2% 6 mg
Manganese	1% 0.017 mg
Phosphorus	2% 17 mg
Potassium	5% 216 mg
Sodium	0% 1 mg
Zinc	1% 0.08 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	89 g
Link to USDA Database entry
Units μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams IU = International units
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA FoodData Central

Raw pomelo flesh is 89% water, 10% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contains negligible fat (table). A 100 gram reference amount provides 38 calories, and is rich in vitamin C (73% of the Daily Value), with no other micronutrients in significant content.

Pomelo may cause adverse effects, similar to those caused by grapefruit and some other citrus fruits, through the inhibition of cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism of prescription drugs such as anti-hypertensives and anticoagulants.[12]

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  Flowering and fruiting branch with numbered fruit segment and flower section, chromolithograph by P. Depannemaeker, c. 1885, after B. Hoola van Nooten
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  This white hybrid Pomelo is cushioned with a thick mesocarp layer
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  Pomelos
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  Pomelo after being cut
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  Pink pomelo juice vesicles
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  Pomelo blossom
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  Pomelo on tree, has fruit and blossoms at the same time
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  Fujian's Pinghe County is famous in China for its pomelos
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  Pomelo orchard
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  Pink pomelo
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  Pomelo seedling
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  Closeup of pomelo petiole
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  Ipoh pomelos on sale at Chinatown, Singapore
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  Tam som-o nam pu: spicy Thai pomelo salad with crab extract