Translated material
Citrus maximalist
Sergey Parkhomenko
The broom that doesn't fly anywhere
The broom that doesn't fly anywhere
(Photo: Alexander Sorin )
They say that an orange is like freedom: until you try what it tastes like, you won’t want it and won’t demand it. If the idea is true for the banal citrus, which somehow squeezed into the poor diet of communist times, what can we say about the exotic fruits that have only now reached our table from the fabulous tropical lands. Here's a broom, for example. Those who have never seen it continue to think that it is only suitable for flights to Bald Mountain, together with the stupa. Those who have seen but not tried will die in the belief that this is just a grapefruit, only monstrously overgrown and therefore almost unsuitable for food, since “the skin is probably three centimeters, but there is nothing to eat inside.”
Meanwhile, pomelo (emphasis on the last or penultimate syllable - as you wish) is not an accelerated grapefruit at all. And not some special variety of grapefruit. And not even a specially bred product of crossing grapefruit with some other type of citrus fruit, as slightly more advanced consumers sometimes mistakenly believe. The relationship, of course, exists, but rather of the opposite kind: most reference books indicate that grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) is probably actually a degenerated pomelo (there is terrible confusion here in encyclopedias - in different sources the fruit is called POMELO, then POMELLO, then PUMMELO , and the Latin name is either Citrus grandis or Citrus maxima), which was again “domesticated” after it quickly went wild and mutated in an unusual climate, when at the end of the 18th or at the beginning of the 19th century its seedlings were first brought by an English captain Shaddock from Malaysia to the West Indies. It was then that the triumphant march of the Asian guest across Central and South America began, and today broom plantations occupy vast areas in Jamaica, Colombia, Mexico, and throughout the southern United States from California to Florida. However, this “father of grapefruit” most often arrives on Russian shelves not from the Caribbean region, but from the Middle East, proudly carrying on his side the black and gold diamond of the famous Israeli company “Jaffa”.
Be that as it may, we are dealing with a completely separate, absolutely amazing and in all respects special fruit, even though sellers who are indifferent to their product most often dump it on the counter along with grapefruits in one common box. Although it is quite simple to distinguish a real broom from a truly overgrown relative lying nearby. Firstly, there are no grapefruits the size of a football (sometimes the size of a basketball). Secondly, in contrast to the pale grapefruit, pomelo, with its rich yellow-green (sometimes just green) color, looks more like an unripe lemon. In addition, a grapefruit is usually perfectly round or slightly flattened “at the poles”, and a pomelo is distinguished by a pronounced thickening of the skin on the top, where the stalk was once attached - that is, it is closer in shape to an orange. The texture of this skin is also unique - shiny, as if varnished, densely strewn with characteristic pimples. Finally, the smell: devoid of any bitterness, somewhat even perfumey, exaggeratedly thick, also rather reminiscent of orange. This smell, by the way, is the best guide when buying: the stronger it is, the more concentrated, rich and fresh the taste will be.
A comparison of the “consumer” advantages of pomelo and grapefruit leads to two extremely simple conclusions. All the qualities that are attractive to a connoisseur and lover of grapefruits are present in pomelo in an enhanced and multiplied version: a huge amount of juice, an excellent set of vitamins, the ability to instantly quench thirst. And everything that grapefruit can do to scare away a picky consumer is absent in pomelo: not the slightest harshness in taste and aroma, not a drop of bitterness, no tendency to quickly wither and dry out during storage. And most importantly, the broom has a completely different, much more convenient “technology” for the food itself.
The fact is that an ordinary grapefruit - unless, of course, you are just going to squeeze the juice out of it - requires a fair amount of hard work and perseverance. As you know, it is supposed to be cut in half “along the equator”, and then, for a long time and carefully, pick out the pulp with a knife or spoon from the walls and membranes (they contain all the bitterness, so you can’t mess around here), finally, you almost always have to sprinkle the “cut” half with sugar and wait until the sugar is soaked and absorbed - otherwise it will be too sour. Not so with the broom.
Peel the fruit as you would a regular orange: just cut the thick skin a little at first, and then it will come off almost effortlessly. Tear the peeled “core” of the broom in half and, using the tip of a knife, carefully tearing through the thick films one after another, remove the pulp, slice by slice. These slices lie freely in their membranous “shells”, almost not attached to the walls anywhere, in addition, the pulp is very dense and tight, so with minimal skill you will hardly crush anything, tear it and lose only a few drops of juice. At the same time, also shake out the loose seeds - sometimes there are quite a lot of them, five or six in each slice. Place the peeled slices in a porcelain bowl. No sugar is needed: the sweetness is enough. All. Ready. Next - either with spoons, or with your hands, or you can stick your head directly into the bowl.
One medium-sized broom, according to my observations, is quite enough for three gluttonous teenagers as an afternoon dessert. And for two thoughtful adults, the same portion is more than enough to watch a Saturday or Sunday news and analytical program. We need to eat up our sour life with something like that.