# Cross between a grapefruit and a tangerine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 4, 2000, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786 "2000-04-04T00:02:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/1 "2000-04-04T00:02:00Z")
Is there such an animal? And if so, what’s it called? - Rick ---
**Author:** ![Ursa\_Major](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@Ursa\_Major](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ursa_Major)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/2 "2000-04-04T00:06:00Z")
Gangrene? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/3 "2000-04-04T00:11:00Z")
Main Entry: tan·ge·lo Pronunciation: 'tan-j&-"lO Function: _noun_ Inflected Form(s): _plural_ - **los** Etymology: _tang_erine + pom_elo_ Date: 1904 : the fruit of a hybrid (_Citrus tangelo_) between a tangerine or mandarin orange and a grapefruit; also : the tree. The above is courtesy of the Merriam-Webster dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/4 "2000-04-04T00:39:00Z")
This could get ugli. ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/5 "2000-04-04T00:49:00Z")
no theres no such thing as that animal 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/6 "2000-04-04T01:13:00Z")
yabob, (in a Natasha Fatale voice) - shaddock you mouth! ---
**Author:** ![Mazey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@Mazey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mazey)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/7 "2000-04-04T01:18:00Z")
There is SO! Yabob’s right on the money…it’s called ugli fruit, and MAN is it UGLY! (but it peels like a tangerine and is reeeeeeeaaaaaalllly good!) ---
**Author:** ![Louie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Louie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Louie)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/8 "2000-04-04T03:21:00Z")
Pure orange rind. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/9 "2000-04-04T13:50:00Z")
Technically, a tangelo is a cross between a tangerine and a pomelo. While most sources I checked use the terms interchangably ( “grapefruit” and “pomelo”), my produce experience with pomelo fruit is that it has a thicker rind and a milder flavor and that the pomelo is the oldest variety of grapefruit, from which modern grapefruits have developed. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/10 "2000-04-04T14:34:00Z")
Our grocery store has ugli fruits that are labeled as a cross between a grapefruit and a mandarin orange. They’re really good and don’t have any seeds. ---
**Author:** ![Hepzibah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hepzibah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hepzibah)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/11 "2000-04-05T05:17:00Z")
What a great thread – I was just wondering about the Pomelo yesterday! I bought an absurdly huge yellow citrus fruit last night (never shop pregnant AND hungry AND late) from the stand next to the grapefuit box – it was easily twice the size of the grapefruit on offer, and smelled heavenly. I looked it up in the helpful produce book they keep in our grocery, because I’d never seen one, and was informed that they were in season in January and February, but there wasn’t anything further. I’d assumed it was a grapefruit relative. Although this was labelled “Pummelo” – different from Pomelo? Or just a trendy spelling? Are they tasty? I haven’t tried it yet. ---
**Author:** ![Yeah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/dbc845/32.png) [@Yeah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeah)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/12 "2000-04-05T12:36:00Z")
Where I live, we buy “Bali oranges” also known as pomelos also known as shaddocks (after a British sea captain who had something to do with them). They are as different from grapefruit as oranges are from tangerines. They are the size of a grapefruit but have a thick skin (up to 2 cm). The pulp looks something like pink grapefruit but is nearly dry. The taste is like a grapefuit but milder. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/13 "2000-04-05T22:59:00Z")
Another excellent old variety of grapefruit making claims on being the “grandfather of the modern grapefruit” is the Oro Blanco. Like the pomelo, the Oro Blanco has a very thick skin and is extremely rare to find in U.S. supermarkets. The flesh is white, and incredible. Also, I had to laugh a few years ago when growers started marketing the unfortunately named “Ugli Fruit” as “Uniq Fruit”. I was selling produce at the time, and can report that the name change didn’t help sales in my store. Whether “Ugli” or “Uniq”, the large citrus tasted great but looked like an ugly mal-formed grapefruit. I think some sellers still use the “Uniq” fruit label today. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2000, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/14 "2000-04-06T00:01:00Z")
Actually, I did a bit of research, and was surprised to find that “Ugli” has been trademarked. The company refers to their product as an “UGLI® tangelo”. Repeatedly. See [http://www.ugli.com/home.html.](http://www.ugli.com/home.html.) Perhaps the ones marketed as “Uniq” are avoiding trademark violations. It sounds like “Cable Hall Citrus” is trying to avoid having their trademark genericised, too. I certainly didn’t know it was a trademark. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2000, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cross-between-a-grapefruit-and-a-tangerine/9786/15 "2000-04-06T00:07:00Z")
And somebody report to ultimate BB that they shouldn’t parse the ending period of sentences as part of a URL try - [http://www.ugli.com/home.html](http://www.ugli.com/home.html)