12th February: Grapefruit

February is Grapefruit Month. So here are ten things you might not know about grapefruit.

1. Grapefruit gets its name because the fruit grow in clusters on the trees like large Grapes.
2. Grapefruit is a hybrid originating in Barbados as an accidental cross between two introduced species, sweet Orange and pomelo. A man called Captain Shaddock is thought to have been the first to introduce some of the seeds from Asia in the 17th century. He might have crossed them, although the most common theory is that it was an accidental cross, occurring naturally. Hence grapefruit was known as the shaddock or shattuck until the nineteenth century.
3. It was also referred to as "the forbidden fruit" during the 18th century. It was first documented in 1750 by Welshman Rev. Griffith Hughes, who described specimens from Barbados in his book, The Natural History of Barbados.
4. Opinions seem to be divided on which nation is the world's top grapefruit producer. Wikipedia says it's China, followed by the USA, while other sites say most of the world's supply comes from Florida and Texas. Wikipedia's figures are for "grapefruit and pomelo" however. The grapefruit was brought to Florida by Count Odet Philippe in 1823.
5. Botanically grapefruit is a berry. Grapefruit trees are evergreen and can grow to 13–15m (43–49 ft), although their usual height is about around 5–6 meters (16–20 ft). A single grapefruit tree can produce more than 1,500 pounds of fruit.
6. A grapefruit is 75% juice. A medium grapefruit produces 2/3 of a cup of juice.
7. They're good things to include in a diet for weight loss, and 1/2 (100g) of a grapefruit contains roughly 60% of your daily requirement for Vitamin C They don't react well with certain drugs though, statins being one example, so check before eating if you're on medication.
8. Grapefruit is known for its slightly tart, bitter taste. In some parts of the world, such as Haiti and Costa Rica, it is cooked and eaten as a dessert or made into jam.
9. The grapefruit is said to be one of the “Seven Wonders of Barbados,” and Texas Red Grapefruit was designated as the official fruit of Texas in 1993.
10. There are special items of cutlery especially designed for eating grapefruit. A grapefruit spoon is like a teaspoon except it tapers to a sharp or serrated edge in order to separate the flesh of a grapefruit from its rind. A grapefruit knife is small with a curved serrated blade, designed to hug the curves of the grapefruit and separate the outer edge of the segments from the rim of the fruit.

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