Exotic Fruits: Jabong & Santol

October 17, 2009 in Chinese, Filipino | 5 comments


Jabong, a.k.a. Pomelo, Pummelo or Shaddock

It must have been “Exotic Fruits Week” this past week, as Diner E brought a couple of Jabong to share with everyone, while Diner A brought a few bags full of Santol.

Jabong – a citrus fruit very similar to grapefruit – is also known as Boh Look (in Cantonese), Pomelo, Pumello or Shaddock.

They’re quite large, as this one measures approximately 6″ in diameter.

You can either cut the thick, fleshy white and green rind off with a knife, or peel it by hand, which is how Diner E prefers to do it…


Diner E peeling the Jabong by hand

Actually not just peeling, but more like pulling by hand, as that’s what it takes to separate the thick rind away from the wedges within.

Here you can see just how thick the Jabong’s rind is…

  1. Justin’s avatar

    Justin on October 17, 2009 at 1:58 pm

    Actually, Jabong is not the Chinese name. The Chinese name is Boh Look. This fruit is traditionally eaten during full moon festival. The tart/bitterness of the fruit offsets the sweetness of the mooncake. The leaves of the Boh Look tree are also considered cleansing, and every Chinese New Year’s Eve, we would take a bath in Boh Look leaves to cleanse off the previous year and prepare for the new. Every Chinese family would want to have a Boh Look tree growing in their yard.

  2. pomai’s avatar

    pomai on October 17, 2009 at 3:19 pm

    Justin, thanks for clearing that up. On that note, I fixed the post.

    Now I’m curious exactly where the term “Jabong” comes from. It may have possibly originated from Jabonga, a town in the province of Agusan del Norte in the Philippines.

  3. Patty’s avatar

    Patty on October 18, 2009 at 11:00 am

    Pomai, in Hong Kong they use the rinds of the pomelo in dishes like with prawns and braised with abalone. Never waste a fruit that take that long to grow. My family made a dish with the rind but never taste as good as the ones in Hong Kong.

  4. pomai’s avatar

    pomai on October 18, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    Patty, that’s what I admire about the asian countries. They’re not wasteful , but resourceful about food ingredients and incorporate everything that’s considered edible in their cuisine. The west has a lot to learn in that regard, but I think we’re slowly beginning to catch on.

  5. Liz’s avatar

    Liz on October 19, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    It’s funny, I never considered pomelos to be an exotic fruit; around here, they’re both cheap and plentiful during the winter, you can get them in most supermarkets, and a lot of people know what they are. Maybe something to do with Philly being a shipping hub? Who knows, but at least I’ve found one fruit I don’t have to be insanely jealous over not having access to!