Pomelo or Pummelo or Jabong

When I was a teenager on Kauai, I had never heard the word pomelo, because we called this fruit "jabong."  Tasting like a mild grapefruit, pomelo are a great breakfast food or snack.  There are different cultivars of pomelo, and some are pink and some are white.  Although they're the largest of the citrus fruits, one pomelo only yields enough fruit for two people and I can easily eat one all by myself.  You see, the skin is so thick that by the time you peel and segment it, it doesn't give up as much fruit as you'd think.  However, if you value quality over quantity, go for the jabong!  I love it, and it's available in winter when we really need that extra shot of vitamin C.  If I'm in a hurry, I supreme the fruit, as you would an orange.  I usually try to find a pomelo that is leaning toward bright yellow, because then I know it's ripe.  However, I've read online that a green pomelo is fine.  I'm guessing that, like most citrus, this does not ripen once you pick it.  See below for a photo of one I found recently at Whole Foods in Annapolis.  There are many good videos on how to peel and even carve a pommelo on youtube, and here is one I found for you.  And here is another video if you decide you want to supreme it.  Yes, it actually takes a couple of minutes to peel a pomelo, but it's fun, and so worth it to get to the luscious flesh that tastes like a sweet grapefruit without any of the bitterness!  The giant size of the sections is fun too.   Even children who find grapefruit too acidic love pummelo!  If you want it extra sweet for children or a dessert option, you can lightly drizzle the sections with a light agave syrup.  This delectable fruit is at its peak and more available in winter.  It's also said to bring good luck and prosperity at New Year's celebrations, so it's appropriate for this first post of 2012.  Happy New Year!