You may hate Pomelo but your skin will love it
No matter our age is 40 or 80, we always love to keep ourselves looking as young as possible. So, we do exercise, use thousands of beauty products and don’t want to give birth to new babies every year.
I was not a beauty freak, but I also wanted to hide my age and my husband surprised me this Valentine’s day with a love shaped Pomelo. He brought it from Japan. It’s health benefits are also surprising.
Not only the love shaped Pomelo, any of this fruit contains vitamin C, protein, insoluble fiber and high antioxidants which help to lose weight and exert anti-aging effects. One peeled pomelo of average size contains-
- Calories: 231
- Protein: 5 grams
- Carbs: 59 grams
- Fiber: 6 grams
- Riboflavin: 12.6% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Thiamine: 17.3% of the DV
- Vitamin C: 412% of the DV
- Copper: 32% of the DV
- Potassium: 28% of the DV
This giant citrus fruit is native to Southeast Asia, and is thought to have originated in Malaysia, where it continues to grow abundantly. Pomelos are less popular in other parts of the world, primarily because it takes nearly 8 years for the seeds to flower and bear fruit. But they can usually be found in Latin or Asian grocery stores, and some major supermarkets in the U.S.
Like grapefruits, pomelos vary in color, size and shape. They can be close to cantaloupe size and even grow to be as large as a watermelon. They boast a very thick, soft rind that ranges in color from yellow to pale yellowish-brow to pink.
The light yellow to coral pink flesh can be juicy or slightly dry, and range from a spicy-sweet flavor to something that’s more tangy and tart and love shaped pomelos are very rare and can be found only in some Japanese farmland.
Pomelo Varieties
While there aren’t a lot of varieties of pomelos, hybrids of the fruit arise easily, with the most familiar being the tangelos, a blend of tangerines and grapefruits or tangerines and pomelos.
Pomelos and its hybrids often have a greenish tinge in the peel and flesh, even when ripe. In fact, the color of a pomelo’s flesh can vary from light yellow to lime green to orange and even dark purple. Some fruits even have a dark green peel and yet the flesh is ruby red and sweet.
How to Select and Store Pomelos
When buying pomelos, don’t be fooled by their softness. This is not a sign of being overripe, it’s just that the skin is so thick, that’s what you feel when you squeeze, not the flesh itself. Look for fruit that’s heavy for its size, blemish-free, and sweetly fragrant. Pomelos can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
How to Peel and Eat a Pomelo
Once peeled and segmented, a pomelo can be consumed as is. Use them anywhere you might use an orange or grapefruit. Pomelos are best eaten raw or broiled. To peel a pomelo, utilize the simple following steps:
- Like any fruit, give it a quick wash.
- Cut a ½-inch “cap” off the top end of the pomelo. Usually this is slightly tapered.
- Score the skin, cutting approximately ½ inch deep. Cut vertical slices down the sides of the pomelo to create quarters. Doing this makes it easier to remove the thick skin.
- Start at the top where you cut the “cap” and firmly pull the peel away from the fruit, working one quarter at a time.
- After you completely remove the peel, you’ll be left with a smaller piece of fruit covered in a white pith.
- Using the end of the pomelo with the dimple, pull the fruit away into pieces, like you would orange segments.
- However, unlike an orange it is not recommended that you eat the segment membrane or skin. Instead, remove the flesh which easily pulls away. This inner flesh is the part that is delicious to eat!
Note: Pomelos have large juicy cells but this process is surprisingly dry. You will not have juice dripping all over as you would if you did this with other citrus, like oranges or grapefruit. You can also use it in a salad with chili, lime, peanuts and coconut.
