With their cousins theorange and the lemon, grapefruits are among the many citrus fruits appreciated for their juicy, sweet and tangy pulp. Its fragrant bloom gives way to beautiful fruits which are harvested in winter. Not to be confused with pomelos!
Grapefruit season
The real grapefruit (Citrus maxima), also wrongly called pomelo (Citrus paradisi), is part of the Rutaceae family (Rutaceae). It grows on a fruit tree that can grow up to 6 meters in height, called the grapefruit. This large fruit is appreciated for its pink or yellow pulp, surrounded by a yellow or pink skin or rind. The harvest takes place in winter while that of pomelos is around the month of April to June. The grapefruit is native to China while the pomelo originated in North America, more precisely in Florida.
Pomelo, resulting from a cross between an orange tree and grapefruit, is smaller in size than a grapefruit, with a yellow skin, with bitter yellow or sweet pink pulp, depending on the variety. You should know that in Europe, it is the pomelos which are consumed the most.
Nutritional qualities of grapefruit
Like many citrus fruits, grapefruit is valued for its vitamins C and its low content calories. Considered one of the least sweet fruits, it is widely consumed during a diet.
Grapefruit varieties
Among white, pink or blood grapefruits and pomelos, here are some essential varieties to discover.
Grapefruit :
- ‘Red Madoka’: citrus fruit with yellow skin and red pulp;
- ‘Côte Bleue’: grapefruit with the skin and flesh of color yellow ;
- ‘Red Blush’: variety with yellow skin and red pulp;
- ‘Oroblanco’: citrus fruit with a bright yellow skin and flesh;
- ‘Ruby Red’: fruit with yellow skin and ruby red pulp.
Pomelo:
- ‘Duncan’: old variety with yellow skin producing very juicy fruits;
- ‘Star Ruby’: yellow fruit with red flesh;
- ‘Rio Red’: yellow fruit with yellow pulp harvested between March and June;
- Corsica produces PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) grapefruits of the ‘Star Ruby’ variety which are harvested from March to June. These are the only French citrus fruits with the lemons of Menton, the lemons of Syracuse and the clementines of Corsica to receive this distinction.
Cooking the grapefruit
A good grapefruit should be heavy, a sign of the presence of juice, with intact, blemish-free and shiny skin. Store it for a good week at room temperature on your kitchen worktop and for about 2 months, in the vegetable drawer placed at the bottom of the fridge.
Once stripped of its skin and seeds, this citrus fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. Simply eat them in quarters with a little sugar top, in vitamin juice with an orange, in citrus pie, in jelly, in quarters in a fruit salad of season, in carpaccio or in a tangy pound cake. For the key exotic, serve a few shrimps, prawns or slices of salmon with small pieces of grapefruit.
The Gariguette strawberry, from the crossing of the Belrubi and Favette varieties Very popular, the Gariguette strawberry variety was obtained at INRA by crossing the Belrubi and Favette varieties in 1976. © YannGarPhoto – CC by-nc 2.0
The tomato and its many varieties Tomatoes come in many varieties, from green to red to yellow. Shape, size, taste and texture also vary widely. © Frédérique Bressoud, INRA photo library
Garlic heads and their cloves Display of garlic heads on a fruit and vegetable stall at Copacabana Market, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. © Jean-Marie Bossennec, Inra photo library
The breadfruit and its tropical fruit Native to Oceania, the breadfruit is cultivated in the tropics for its edible fruit, the breadfruit. The fruit is also called “country chestnut” in the French Antilles. © Jean-Marie Bossennec, Inra photo library
Exotic fruits: dates, lemons and coconut Starfruit, lemons, dates, or coconut belong to the large family of exotic fruits. © Jean Weber, INRA photo library
Starfruit, these star-shaped fruits Star-shaped fruits, carambolas are often used by pastry chefs to decorate their creations. © Christophe Maitre, Inra photo library
A purple cauliflower from Sicily Who Said Cauliflower Has To Be White? This Italian violetto di Sicilia cauliflower, originally from Sicily, puts color on our plates! © Véronique Chable, Inra photo library
Cross section of a red cabbage This photo does not represent a labyrinth but a cross section of a red cabbage. Present it this way to your children, they might want to taste it! © Anne-Hélène Cain, Inra photo library
Quince, the fruit of the quince tree The quince, the fruit of the quince tree, is native to the island of Crete, Greece. When ripe, the quince is covered with a yellow trim and can be eaten in particular as jam. © Anne-Hélène Cain, Inra photo library
Cucurbits: Halloween vegetables Some Cucurbits, used as decoration for the Halloween party, really take on a hideous appearance for the occasion! © Jean Weber, Inra photo library
Coloquintes and patissons, two cucurbits Coloquintes and patissons, two cucurbits, have various shapes and colors and are logically used in decoration. © Jean Weber, Inra photo library
Papaya from Réunion, a tasty berry Papayas, native to Mexico, are also cultivated in tropical countries. These berries can shade currants and blueberries as they can weigh up to 5 kilograms! © Bertrand Nicolas, INRA photo library
The varieties of peppers and peppers The varieties of peppers and peppers are particularly studied at the genetics and plant improvement unit at INRA in Avignon. © Christian Slagmulder, INRA photo library
Yellow pears from the market Yellow pears lined up on a market stall make your mouth water … © Bertrand Nicolas, INRA photo library
Capsaicin, the molecule in peppers and chili peppers Peppers and peppers belong to the same genus (Capsicium), but are differentiated by their capsaicin content, the molecule responsible for the spicy taste. © Christian Slagmulder, INRA photo library
Field bean or fodder bean The faba bean, or forage bean, produces pods that contain two to five seeds. © Gérard Duc, INRA photo library
Brussels sprouts, buds of the plant Brussels sprouts, often denigrated by children for their bitter taste, correspond to the axillary buds of the plant. © Anne-Hélène Cain, Inra photo library
The amazing Yellow King mandarin The Yellow King mandarin, with a more than particular appearance, belongs to the collection of the SRA Inra-Cirad of San-Giuliano, in Corsica. © Camille Jacquemond, INRA photo library
An old variety of Cantaloupe melon The varieties of melons are numerous. Here, we can observe an old variety of melon cultivated in France, of the Cantaloupe type. © Michel Pitrat, INRA photo library
Eggplant varieties There are a large number of varieties of eggplant, from the most primitive with small pale fruits (on the right) to the most evolved and mostly eaten (on the left). © Marie-Christine Brand-Daunay, Inra photo library
The walnut and its husk, this green envelope As a nut ripens, the pulp (or husk) surrounding the shell cracks and dries out. © Anne-Hélène Cain, INRA photo library
A blossoming beef heart tomato The deformation of this beef heart tomato comes from a defect in the flower, and therefore affects the fruit. This phenomenon occurs in particular in varieties with large fruits. © Philippe Esteve, external author, INRA photo library
Endives with their roots The endives are “forced in a dark room”, that is to say, grown under unnatural conditions. The bud obtained from the root constitutes the white and edible part of the endive. © Claire Dore, INRA photo library
White currants, a low acid variety While red currants are very acidic, the white currant variety is much less. © Michel Pitsch, INRA photo library
Primitive varieties of potatoes The primitive varieties of potatoes have very specific shapes. © P. Rousselle, INRA photo library
You will also be interested
[EN VIDÉO] Why do some fruits ripen and others do not? Fruits that continue to ripen after being picked are said to be climacteric.
Interested in what you just read?
.
fs12