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Grocery stores sell specific types of citrus fruits: lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits. Some buyers know that on these shelves you can also find citrus hybrids that differ from their counterparts in unusual characteristics. Some claim that among them you can find an orange crossed with a pomegranate.
Are there oranges crossed with pomegranate?
Citrus fruits can only be crossed with representatives of a related species. Other fruits cannot create a full-fledged hybrid with them. Therefore, despite all the assurances of sellers, there are no oranges mixed with pomegranate. This is a common marketing ploy to get the buyer interested in purchasing the product for further research.
What is passed off as a hybrid of orange and pomegranate?
Blood orange is a citrus with blood-colored pulp. It is a hybrid obtained by crossing a pomelo and a tangerine.
The first representative of the species was grown on the lands of Sicily. Local residents appreciated its properties and began to trade citrus fruits and seeds in southern Spain, the USA, China and Morocco.
The appearance of this fruit contributed to the emergence of the legend about the existence of a hybrid orange and pomegranate.The fruit has a bright orange peel, inside of which there is bloody pulp with a strawberry-grape flavor. Ripe fruits have a slight raspberry note.
Blood orange is a dietary product. 100 g of its pulp contains 36 kcal. But thanks to the high fiber content, fruits quickly saturate the human body, dulling the feeling of hunger. In addition, they have a beneficial effect on intestinal function and maintain water balance.
The pulp of red citrus is rich in vitamins and minerals. Therefore, they like to use it in cooking and cosmetology. Experienced housewives use orange peel to infuse liqueurs and make seasonings for meat and fish dishes.
What other citrus hybrids are there?
The list of citrus hybrids includes 60 new types of fruits. Many representatives are obtained by crossing ordinary citrus fruits with pomelo, lime and lemon. The most popular of them:
- Tangelo - tangerine crossed with grapefruit, or pomelo. Its size does not exceed the fist of an adult man, and its sweet taste retains all the notes of tangerine. Another name for this fruit is “honey bells”: the unusual growths at the base of such tangerines make tangelos look like them;
- Mineola - one of the varieties of tangelo. The crossed fruit has a flattened shape and thin orange skin with a red tint. The citrus pulp is sweet, with unobtrusive sour notes;
- Clementine - This is a crossed hybrid of a tangerine with an orange, which has a glossy orange peel, and inside there is sweet, seedless pulp. Clementine rightfully occupies a leading place in the list of popular citrus fruits;
- Coals – crossed tangerine with grapefruit.It differs from its relatives in that it was the result of natural work, and not human manipulation. The orange peel of the citrus fruit has a green tint and a characteristic bumpiness. A little later, it was combined with an orange, and a new offspring was obtained, which contained a minimum of seeds. The taste of the younger generation of hybrids is slightly different from its predecessors. It had orange notes and a slight bitterness;
- Rangpur - a hybrid of lemon and tangerine. The crossed fruit retained its orange peel and flesh but acquired a sour, lemony flavor;
- Calamondin – a crossed hybrid of tangerine and kumquat. The pulp and peel of the resulting fruit can be eaten;
- Oroblanco - a hybrid of white grapefruit crossed with pomelo. The peel of the fruit is yellow with a pale tint, and inside there is juicy pulp that tastes sweet. When ripe, Oroblanco may take on a golden or green color;Attention! The white membrane of oroblanco remains bitter, so nutritionists do not recommend eating it.
- Etrog - one of the types of citron. This citrus has saved many people from seasickness, snake bites, E. coli and respiratory diseases;
- Buddha's hand - an equally popular type of citron. Its appearance resembles fused human fingers. Most fruits consist of a single zest, so they are used as flavorings.
Conclusion
An orange crossed with a pomegranate is nothing more than a trick of the rich imagination of marketers who are trying to sell more goods. Selection of citrus crops can only occur with representatives of related species, to which pomegranate does not belong.
Citrus hybrids are not uncommon.The combination of different fruits makes it possible to obtain an unusual appearance and a new taste for the younger generation of fruits. But this process can only be carried out in special conditions under the supervision of specialists. Even if a hybrid plant grows in a home environment, there is a high probability that it will be sterile and will not bear fruit.
