Pomelo

Pomelo trees are grown in full sun in loamy soil, tolerating textures from rough sand to heavy clay but performing best in fertile ground. They thrive at temperatures of about 25–32°C with 1,500–2,500 mm of rainfall spread around a three-to-four month dry season, and in cooler climates are kept under glass, moved outdoors only during the summer months.

Ripe pomelos are picked when the rind turns bright or pale yellow, sometimes with a trace of green; fruit with a pink-tinged skin is generally overripe.

Storage: The thick pith protects the fruit well, so pomelos can be kept refrigerated or in another cool, humid place such as an unheated garage; held at 40–44°F they stay fresh for four to five weeks, or two to three weeks nearer 60°F.

Culinary: The pith and membrane are cut away before eating, and the segments are served on their own or with salt, chile, or sugar; the pulp goes into salads such as Thai yum som-o, into juices and marinades, and substitutes for orange or grapefruit in marmalades and baked desserts, while the thick peel can be candied or simmered into sweet dishes.

Cultural: In China, pomelos are displayed and shared during Lunar New Year, when the fruit is associated with prosperity and its segments are distributed among family members as a symbol of good fortune.

Medicinal: Across parts of Asia, different parts of the plant have traditionally been used, including the fruit for cough, fever, asthma and diarrhea, the seeds for coughs, and the leaves in preparations recorded for epilepsy and for swellings and ulcers.

Pomelo is native to Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, where wild populations still occur. It was carried to China, where it has been cultivated for a very long time, and later reached the Caribbean and the Americas after seeds were brought west by a ship's captain remembered in the fruit's alternate name, shaddock.