June's Tag Game ~ El Pomelo ~ The Grapefruit Community Forums - p1

Wed May 30, 2012 9:32 am

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Pomelo (Grapefruit)

~ The grapefruit (called pomelo in Spain, or sometimes toronja in other regions) is a subtropical citrus fruit hybrid that was first documented in 1759 in the writings of a Welshman, Rev. Griffith Hughes. The tree-grown fruit was eventually introduced in various parts of the world, and the common white and pink grapefruit varieties became staple crops for many subtropical regions, and first grown as a commercial crop in Barbados around the 18th century.

Grapefruit varieties were successfully grown in many subtropical areas throughout the world. But one of the earliest growers in the American citrus industry was Kimball Chase Atwood (a wealthy entrepreneur who started the Atwood Grapefruit Company) was the world’s largest grapefruit grower. And he was the first to discover the pink grapefruit around the year 1906.

Although the grapefruit had long been a fairly success fruit crop, it was the introduction of the Ruby Red variety that the grapefruit transformed into a real agricultural success. In fact, in 1929 the U.S. Ruby Red (from the Redblush variety) became the first grapefruit patent. The United States has long held the spot as the top producer of grapefruit, followed by China and South Africa.

~ Grapefruits can reach 10-15cm (3.9 to 6 inches) in size and are widely prized for their succulent (though somewhat tart) pulpy segments that burst with flavor when eaten. The skin of grapefruits are generally yellow, yellow-orange, or pale pink with inside flesh that comes in a variety of colors that include white, pink and red, all with varying levels of sweetness depending on the variety.

Grapefruits are a popular food ingredient in many cuisines, including Spanish cuisine. It is a popular breakfast dish throughout the world, often with a little sugar sprinkled on top to sweeten it a bit. And it is commonly peeled so grapefruit segments can added to tossed salads for added zest, flavor and health benefits. Perhaps the most popular way of utilizing grapefruits, however, is extract juice from the fruit and serve it as juice beverage, often for breakfast.

Grapefruit Varieties

Grapefruit comes in many varieties, which is determined by its color (which is caused by the pigmentation of the fruit) with the most popular varieties cultivated today being red, white, and pink hues (referring to the internal pulp color). Depending on the variety, a grapefruit’s flavor can range from highly acidic and somewhat bitter to sweet and tart. The most common varieties of grapefruit grown today include:

~ Duncan grapefruit (believed to be the oldest known grapefruit variety) is large, about 3 1/2 to 5 inches (9-12.5 cm) wide with a light yellow peel (usually called "white"), with large oil glands, medium-thick, highly aromatic; pulp is buff, in 12-14 segments with medium-tender membranous walls, very juicy, of fine flavor; seeds medium-large, 30-50. This was the leading cultivar for many years in Florida and Texas and was introduced into all the grapefruit-growing areas of the world. Today, in the United States, it has largely given way to cultivars with fewer seeds, but it is being grown commercially in India.

~ Foster grapefruit is oblate to round; medium-large, averaging 3 3/4 inches (9.5 cm) in width. The peel is light yellow blushed with pink, and the pulp is light-buff and variegating to pinkish near the center. Generally with 13 or 14 tender and juicy segments of good quality despite seeds (up to 50 or even more seeds per fruit). Not very popular; grown to a limited extent in Florida, Texas, Arizona and India.

~ Marsh grapefruit was planted more than any other cultivar by William Hancock in 1862, though the original tree was killed by the cold freeze in the winter of 1895-96. The fruit is oblate to round, medium in size, 3 1/2 to 4 3/4 in (9-12 cm) wide with a smooth light-yellow peel and mildly aromatic light yellow pulp with 12-14 extremely juicy segments per fruit that is rich in flavor, with few seeds (maybe 3-8 per fruit). It keeps well after harvest and is the leading grapefruit cultivar grown in Florida, California, Texas, Arizona, South America, Australia, South Africa, Israel and India.

~ Oroblanco grapefruit was first cross-planted with the pummel in 1958 by geneticists R.K. Soost and J.W. Cameron of the University of California, Riverside and patented in 1981 (patent assigned to the University of California Board of Regents). Fruit form and size are similar to the Marsh variety, though the peel and pulp are paler. The pulp is quite tender, juicy, non-bitter, and seedless. This variety seems better adapted to California's inland citrus locations than to desert sites.

~ Paradise Navel grapefruit was first produced and released for distribution in 1976. The fruit is oblate, smaller than a typical grapefruit. It was originally very seedy, but, by budding onto various rootstocks and transferring from one rootstock to another over a period of years, there eventually emerged one tree bearing fruit without seeds.

~ Redblush grapefruit includes the popular 'Ruby' and 'Ruby Red' varieties, first grown in the early 1900s and receiving the first grapefruit patent in 1929. This successful efforts of this red grapefruit variety is largely considered the start of the booming grapefruit business in the latter half of the 20th century. By 1950, over 75% of Florida’s commercial grapefruit crop was of the pink or red varieties, with the Redblush being a perennial favorite. It averages about 250 per fruits annually per tree. Its peel is not blushed but the pulp varies with specific varieties from red to intense red.

~ Star Ruby Grapefruit are red-blushed fruits, first noticed on a 'Foster' tree at San Benito, Texas, in the mid 1930's. Bbecause of its coarse texture and high number of seeds (40-60), it was not adopted commercially. Seeds were irradiated at the Texas A & I Citrus Center, Weslaco, in 1959, and the treated seeds were named the 'Star Ruby' and introduced into cultivation in 1971 by Richard Hensz of Texas A & I University. Several thousand trees were planted in Texas and Florida by 1971, producing a yellow peel distinctly red-blushed with intensely red pulp and juice, 3 times more colorful than 'Ruby Red' variety (though the color decreases with maturity). The pulp is smooth and firm, and it has a bit more sugar and acid that other grapefruit varieties and virtually no seeds or no more than nine and often used to blend with white or pink grapefruit juice to provide more consumer appeal.

~ Sweetie Grapefruit is a grapefruit × pummelo hybrid released in 1984 by the Citrus Marketing Board in Israel, has all the features of a typical grapefruit but the flavor is sweet.

~ Thompson Grapefruit is an oblate to round fruit of medium size, 2 3/4 to 3 3/4 inches (7-9.5 cm) wide with a light yellow peel and light to buff-colored pulp that is faintly aromatic. There are 12 to 14 segments with abundant, colorless juice, and few seeds–usually only 3 to 5. The color of the pulp is most intense in January and February. By late March and April it has faded to nearly amber.

~ Triumph Grapefruit – having the distinction of being the first named grapefruit in 1884, with excellent flavor and juiciness, but is also highly seeded. This variety is distinct in the fact that it lacks bitterness and often described as orange-like and is suspected of being a hybrid of the orange and grapefruit. The fruit is oblate to ellipsoid, slightly flattened at both ends; of medium size; peel light-yellow, very smooth, with tendery, juicy pale pulp with only faintly bitter taste of superior quality. It generally has about 35-50 seeds per fruit. Medium-early in season, beginning in November. Grown largely in Florida and South Africa, but it has been widely distributed in citrus regions.

~ Melogold hybrid was developed by crossing a sweet pummelo with a seedy, white, tetraploid grapefruit in 1958. The fruit is larger than 'Marsh' grapefruit and its pummelo-like flavor is considered superior though it may have a trace of bitterness at the beginning and end of the season which extends from early November or December through February.

Health Benefits

~ The grapefruit is an excellent source of many vitamins and nutrients that contribute to a well-rounded healthy diet. For instance, the grapefruit contains 100% of one’s daily allowance of vitamin C, a significant amount of vitamins from B series, fiber pectin, and (in pink and red varieties) the antioxidant lycopene which plays an important role in restoring damaged cells and anti-tumor activity.

For instance, various research studies have shown that frequently including grapefruit in one’s diet can provide many health benefits such as helping to lower cholesterol, boosting one’s immune system to help prevent the common cold, preventing kidney stones, and protecting against some cancers. Studies have shown that men who eat lycopene-rich foods (such as pink grapefruit) and drink green tea regularly may greatly reduce their risk of developing prostate cancer.

~ Prized for its low-calorie, low cholesterol, and high nutrient value, the grapefruit has long been a staple in many commercial diet programs. In fact, the grapefruit is the core component of the popular “grapefruit diet” (sometimes referred to as the “Hollywood Diet”), which theorizes that the fruit’s low glycemic index helps the body to metabolize more efficiently, thereby more easily burn fat that (if the dieter remains faithful to the diet plan) leads to quick weight loss.

The grapefruit is a key ingredient in many other commercial diet plans that include Jenny Craig, Atkins, the Cabbage Soup Diet, NutriSystem, South Beach Diet, Weight Watchers, and the Zone.

…………………………Tag Game

~ We have selected an array of Spanish (and other) recipes from the site’s database that include grapefruit as an ingredient. You are free to tag one of the recipes we found, or you are free to pick any other grapefruit recipe. And there is no limit; you can tag as many recipes as you can make before the end of the month.

Featured Spanish Recipes ~ Grapefruit

~ Fruity Sangria #370843 (by Tarteausucre)
This 5-Star version of the classic Spanish Sangria with a full accompaniment of citrusy zest from the fresh grapefruit is the perfect bebida to your Spanish-themed meal.

~ Spanish Citrus Salad #335892 (by KateL)
The pimiento kick and citrus punch from the fresh grapefruit really set this salad apart.

~ Citrus-Seared Chicken With Orange Olive Sauce #65292 (by Sharon123)
The addition of ruby red grapefruit juice kicks up this chicken dish a notch

Tapas / Appetizers and Snacks