GRAPEFRUIT Citrus paradisi

A veritable newcomer among foods, the grapefruit is only about 200 years old. It is an entirely new citrus species, born in the Caribbean island of Jamaica, its popular name stemming from a most inaccurate description. A botanist named John Lunan, writing about the horticulture of the island, claimed the large round yellow fruit tasted like grapes. The name “grapefruit” stuck, regardless of Lunan’s faulty characterization. In fact, however, early varieties of grapefruit did look much like huge clusters of grapes, as the fruit hung in a bunch on a single branch.

An offspring of an unusual citrus originally from Malaysia known as the pummelo, the grapefruit either was a mutation of that fruit or a combination of that and a mysterious other. The sweet-sour fruit was not an immediate hit. The first commercial grove was established about 1890 in Florida. After World War II, the fruit became increasingly popular. Today it’s the second most important citrus worldwide and a key commercial crop in the U.S. states of Texas, Arizona, California and Florida. Florida is by far the biggest producer of the crop.

Early 1900's "exaggerated" postcard

1995-2000 COPYRIGHT, The FOOD Museum(tm)
Web Site Maintained by RAMtech, Webgenie