PUMMELO, POMELLO, (SHADDOCK)
Pomello or pummelo, sometimes also called the shaddock, after an English sea captain who introduced them to the West Indies (Barbados).
Also French 'pamplemousse,' Spanish 'pampelmus,' Thai 'som-o,' and Japanese 'butan' or 'zabon.'
Largest of the citrus family, the pummelo, native to Malaysia, is believed to be an ancestor of the grapefruit. They are a giant citrus fruit that can reach 10-11 inches in diameter, with a firm flesh and less juice than a grapefruit.
They were brought to the West Indies in the 17th century, and are popular there as well as in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand. They are cultivated in India, the Middle East, China, Jamaica, Florida, and California. Several new subtropical varieties have been developed in California.
As with other citrus fruits they are high in vitamin C and low in calories. The are also a good source of potassium. Generally they are yellow, round to pear shaped, 8 inches to as large as a basketball, with a thick layer of peel and pith. Flesh can range from lemon yellow to deep red, and they can be honey sweet or lemon tart and may be enormously seedy to seedless.
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