Different types of grapefruits

The grapefruit, one of the largest members of the citrus family, measures up to 5 or 6 inches in diameter. The fruit is so named because John Luman recorded this name in 1814 in his Hortus Jamaicensis ‘on account of its resemblance in flavor to the grape.’

About 1809, a Spanish nobleman, ‘Don Philippe’ migrated to Florida and settled near Green Springs. He was said to have brought grapefruit seeds with him and from them, to have developed a small grove, the first grapefruit planting in the state.

It then became an important crop in the early 1900s, in the southern United States. The grapefruit is closely associated with the pummelo, probably originating in the West Indies a few centuries ago.

There are two types of grapefruit, white fleshed (pink) and pigmented (red), differentiated more by the color of their flesh than their skin.

Fresh grapefruit of both types can be found in the market year-round because the fruits ripen at different times in Texas, Florida, California, and Arizona.

The meat or pulp of the white grapefruit is actually pale yellow or bond in color. The rind will be from pale to rich yellow in hue. The flesh should have an assertive tangy tart flavor with some underlying bitterness.

Red grapefruit should be the sweetest grapefruits available and are in great demand when in season. It has risen to bright-pink flesh and pink-tinged yellow skin.
Different types of grapefruits