Ugli Fruit

[vengroff]

I just picked up an ugli fruit at the market today. I hadn't heard of these before but it looked like a form of grapefruit so I figured I'd give it a try. It turns out Ugli is a brand name, and their web page claims it has the best qualities of a grapefruit, tangerine, and seville orange. I suppose that means it's going to be a little sweeter than I would have expected.

Anyone had one of these before? What should I expect?

[fimbul]

I bought ugli fruits last year. They were, you'll not be surprised to learn, a lot like sweet grapefruits. They're a fairly mild, pleasantly sweet citrus.

I ate mine straight, using both my hands and a spoon, and I never figured out which way worked better. The thin skin and asymmetry of the things baffled me. I suppose, however, you could use them in sauces and salsas or to infuse liquor. ...I seem to remember marinating tuna in ugli juice at one point, though that may have been an idea that never came to fruition (no pun intended).

There some more information way down this page.

My only qualm is that I'm beginning to see them marketed as "uniq fruits," a bit of preciousness that kinda makes me want to vomit.

Edited April 10, 2003 by fimbul (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Its a Jamaican grapefruit. We had one about a week or so ago, its not bad. Really easy to peel too.

[vengroff]

So, I ate it. It tasted something like a cross between a mandarin orange and a tangerine, only really giant sized.

[jhlurie]

So, I ate it.  It tasted something like a cross between a mandarin orange and a tangerine, only really giant sized.

In other words it tastes nothing like a grapefruit?

[fimbul]

In other words it tastes nothing like a grapefruit?

No, no. It's just like a grapefruit, just without that characteristic grapefruit bitterness....

So, yeah, not too much like a grapefruit.

[Jason Perlow]

Well, not all grapefruits are bitter. Even Florida grapefruits are pretty sweet, especially the Ruby Reds.

Jamaican Grapefruits and Uglifruits however, are characterically sweet. In Jamaica, a popular beverage is Ting, a soda made from the Jamaican grapefruit. I get it here sometimes at caribbean groceries and jamaican patty bakeries.