Did you know? The elephant (of citrus) in the room

The largest citrus fruit isn’t the Sumo citrus, as the name suggests. It’s not the pink, white or ruby red grapefruit either.

It’s the pummelo. Here are some fast facts about this super-size sweetness.

Pummelos are:

• Originally from Southeast Asia.
• Harvested in Florida from December to April.
• About the size of a cantaloupe, 5 to 10 inches in diameter and 2 to 5 pounds
• Also called pomelo and Chinese grapefruit
• Fairly round and may have a slight point on one end
• Covered in yellow to green skin that’s slightly bumpy, with flesh that ranges from pink to rose and a thick rind
• Tart and sweeter than grapefruit with hardly any bitterness
• One of the three original species, with mandarin and citron, of the genus citrus.

To learn more about pummelo and other grapefruit varieties, visit PMG’s grapefruit commodity pages for the lowdown on merchandising, production, price, sales strategy, shipping, handling, storage, grades and other specifications.

Sources: PMG, Florida Department of Agriculture, The Kitchn, FreshDirect.