Pomelo · ส้มโอ
Try pomelo, which looks like an enormous grapefruit. Peel off the thick skin and remove the inner membrane, and the grains of flesh show. Depending on the variety, the sweetness and sharpness feel different. If it is hard to use a knife where you are staying, you could choose pomelo that has been prepared and packed.
Main season October–December
Listed as available all year
Use the main season, or the harvest period for regional fruit, as a guide. Actual availability can vary with the growing area, the variety and the weather.
It is a citrus fruit in which you can feel the grains of the flesh. Colour, sweetness and sharpness differ with each variety, from yellowish to pinkish flesh.
Thailand has several pomelo varieties, such as khao nam phueng and thong dee. Big whole fruit is also sold as prepared flesh in a tub, which makes it an easy fruit to try on a trip.
The guide gives its timing as: Main season October–December. It is available all year, but volumes and prices can change with the season and the variety. The calendar does not guarantee that it is on sale on any particular date.
Keep the price per fruit, the price per kilo and the price of a prepared tub apart. Whole fruit with its thick skin and a tub of flesh only are hard to compare directly by the same weight.
If you would like to read more about the food and the regions behind it, these sources are worth a look. Ingredients and cooking methods can vary from one cook to the next.
Sharing image credit: Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 4.0
