Fah Thai Magazine Sep/Oct 2017

OVERTURES
ON THE MENU / FRUITFUL FINDS
WORDS & PHOTO KAY CHOOMONGKOL
Worth
the Weight
The Cantonese word
for pomelo, “you”
sounds like “to have.”
A saying goes: the
more pomelos you eat,
the wealthier you get!
Round in shape and about the size of a bowling ball, the
pomelo fruit is considered a giant in the citrus family. In some
Asian countries, yellow ones hold great stature as one of the
more significant gifts bestowed on friends and family because
of its ‘golden’ colour and symbolism.
While the fruit originated in Southeast Asia, the word
pomelo derived from “pampelmoose” in Dutch, meaning a
pumpkin-sized citrus. Beyond the matter of size, what does
it taste like?
People say that pomelos taste like grapefruit, but without
the tartness. The fruits are usually eaten fresh and it’s most
likely you’ve tried it when the fruit pulp was used in refreshing
recipes like pomelo salads.
Once peeled, the flesh of the pomelo is usually found
in sections. Inside the inch thick, yellow-green pith of this
oversized round fruit lies its juicy and pulpy flesh that is creamy
white or bright pink – or somewhere in between – depending
on the variety. Like many of its relatives, pomelos or Som-O,
as they’re called in Thai, can vary between being filled with
seeds, to having very few or no seeds at all. They’re sweeter
than other citrus fruits and don’t carry a harsh, bitter tang.
Thailand is flushed with this tropical fruit between August
and October and February to April. Popular pomelo varieties
include Tubtim Siam with its unique blood-red coloured pulp,
Thongdee with a pinkish one, Khao Thongdee and Khao
Tangkwa – which have more of a creamy white flesh. Pomelos
contain lots of vitamin C, are low in calories and full of fibre.
They can be eaten easily by hand, or broken up in smaller
segments into Thailand’s favourite “Yum Som-O” salad or
used in a marinade, made into jam, or juiced for a cocktail. An
amazing treat made by local people uses the thick peel to make
a compote for a bittersweet snack.
Yellow-skinned pomelos are Lunar New Year must-haves
and popular in their rich symbolism with their colour and shape.
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