Consider, now, the citrus family. There are lemons, limes, grapefruits, oranges, tangerines, and clementines, to name a few of the most common members of the family. Clearly, over centuries these different fruits have adapted to respond to different natural elements. The tangelo, however, is an interesting member of the citrus family. It is, in fact, a hybrid of two plants. Tangelos are believed to have originated ins Southeast Asia some 3,000 years ago. They are a lovely hybrid of the tangerine (also known as the mandarin orange) and the grapefruit (closely related to the pomelo).A tangelo looks much like an orange except for the fact that it is not perfectly round. Rather, a tangelo has a more oblong shape. In terms of size, a tangelo is between a tangerine and a grapefruit. In general, a tangelo is the size of a medium to large orange. This member of the citrus family is known for the juice that it provides. A ripe tangelo is filled with much more juice than pulp. In terms of flavor, a tangelo tastes much like a tangerine.
Although hybrid fruits and new breeds of fruits are often borne from Mother Nature and Father Time, it is possible for human intervention to create new fruits. In order to ensure bountiful harvests of enjoyable food, governments sometimes step in and use science to engineer food-bearing plants. The United States Department of Agriculture has worked to produce specific breeds of tangelos that yield bountiful harvests and provide enjoyable flavors. There are now different kinds of tangelos just as there are different types of apples. The two main “breeds” of tangelos are the Minneola tangelo, which was created in 1931, and the Orlando tangelo, which was created in 1911. Each of these “breeds” is the hybrid of one specific type of tangerine and one specific type of grapefruit. Thus, the tangelos that you will find in the grocery store today are products of both a natural occurrence and scientific intervention.
