The trip to Saint Lawrence Market is always a fantastic gastronomic adventure! My last visit to the that amazing market was with a specif goal: to find a fruit that would enchant me in all my senses. Visually I wanted to be attracted to it, the smell needed to make me want to try it, the texture would have to make me feel something different than the usual textures, and finally, the taste.... ahhh the taste! This would most definitely would have to bring me to my knees!!!
After walking through the whole Market and appreciate the diversity of foods, I came to what I was looking for, the "magical fruit" - the name reminds a very small fruit but, in reality, the fruit is quit a large one: GRAPEFRUIT.
Looking like a huge orange, the grapefruit first caught my attention for its size; I thought I was seeing a giant orange! Then I smell it and sensed something a little more bitter than an orange and asked if I could see inside the fruit. It is indeed a beautiful fruit with a beautiful colour. Instead of the regular color of an orange, it was a beautifully red! And yes, when I tasted it, I confirmed that it is more bitter and sour than sweet, and it is very succulent, nonetheless, it is very tasteful.
A bit of a History of the Grapefruit:
The original Latin name is (Citrus paradisi) also known as jamboa or red orange, and it is from the citrus fruits family (1).
Its name in English was due to the way its fruits are formed in the tree, remembering clusters of grapes (1).
In the 19th century, in Jamaica as a result of the crossing of the orange with pomegranate , this fruit became popular throughout the Caribbean, then arrived in the United States and Canada however can barely survive in lower temperatures (1).
It has a lot of vitamin C, bigger than lemon and orange. In addition to B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6), A, K and E. It is excellent for treatment of colds, flu and strengthening of the immune system. Because of its great medicinal potential it is called the "fruit of paradise" in Caribbean countries (1).
Grapefruit or its juice have been found to interact with several drugs and in many cases, resulting in adverse direct and/or having side effects. The fruit contains an enzyme responsible for metabolizing 90% of drugs (CYP3A4) (1).
It can be consumed in nature, in the form of jams and jellies, cooked or roasted.
Let's enjoy a fresh and delightful Salad Recipe with Grapefruit.
The grapefruit blends very nicely with salads.
- Cut pieces of the fruit (Use a chef's knife to cut the grapefruit in half; Cut each half into gums; Divide each piece in half repeatedly until they are all the same size; Cut around the peel removing only the fruit; Cut the gums in half by removing the seeds),
- Mix it with Arugula,
- Goat Cheese,
- Crunched Nuts (Brazilian pecan)
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt
The grapefruit is a very interesting fruit, and very tasty. In the future I will try to use the juice to make some sauces and brine pork or chicken, as substitute of orange or lemon juice as sometimes I use to do. The acidity and bitter flavour is very similar to those others fruits that I already cited over here, but particularity the bitterness and colour are the most important characteristics that can be distinguish and make it unique.
1 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit
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