Come to the Table Tuesday: U is for Ugli

Hello! It's been a while since we came to "Come to the Table Tuesday". Last we time we did, we were going through the ABCs of healthy eating choices. Our last letter we went over was T (T is for Tomatillo). Why did we stop there? Because it was kind of tough to come up with healthy, naturally occurring food starts with U, X, Y, or Z. Well, the other day I was in the grocery store and saw Ugli fruit. Say what??? (Actually, my dear friend suggested Ugli fruit for the series a few months ago). So, let's do this thing. Let's take a look at Ugli fruit.

Since last week when I saw it in the grocery store (that is where the above pic comes from), I keep thinking about the cheer we did in high school: "Ugly...U-G-L-Y ugly...you're ugly...that's right!" Yes, I know, that wasn't very nice. Dang. Moving on...

What is Ugli fruit? Does anybody actual eat it? I ended up grabbing one, not knowing even how to pick one out. Does it need to be ripe and what color is ripe? It looks like you need to peel it, kinda like an orange or something, but how do you eat one?

So I just grabbed one not knowing what I was doing. When I checked out, I asked the clerk if anybody actually buys these things. She said, "Oh, yeah, quite a few people buy them". Okee dokee, I'm willing to give it a try. But first, I've got a few questions.

What is it?

What happens when you combine a tangerine, grapefruit, and an orange? You guessed it...Ugli fruit. It's a citrus fruit combination! Reportedly, the fruit was found growing wild in Jamaica. It is thought that the plant came from the hybridization of the three different fruits: a tangerine, a grapefruit, and an orange.

What's hybridization? (Hey...when you say that word really fast it sounds like you just sneezed...God Bless you! Haha) Well, it's a fancy word for when pollen from different flowers mixes as bees go from one plant to a different plant. The cross-pollenization results in a new kind of plant! This was done nature's way from the bees. Cool, hey?

Where did the name come from?

[caption id="attachment_3572" align="alignleft" width="150"] Pick me!!!! Pick me!!![/caption]

If I was naming it, I would have called it an orangratang. But, then people might have been confused because they would have been looking for a giant, red hairy primate in the produce section.

Someone smarter than me saw it and called it what it is: ugly (but they probably meant it in the kindest way). The name stuck and then an even smarter citrus grower/distributor changed the spelling of it and trademarked the name to Ugli fruit. Brilliant. While the name is trademarked, it has become well known, just like we call a tissue to blow your nose after you sneeze a Kleenex.

Interestingly, we Americans pronounce the word UGLI as "ugly", but I've read that in Jamaica it is pronounced HUG-ly. Awwww. Makes me want to hug an orangutan (and I still have that cheer going through my head, "...U- G- L- Y, ugly, that's right!").

The true botanical name for Ugli fruit is: Citrus reticulate x Citrus paradise 

How do you pick one out?

The green surface turns a yellow-orange as it ripens. The more yellow-orange the color, the riper (aka sweeter) the fruit. But in many pictures I see on the internet, it shows the fruit cut open while still green. I'll have to try both ways and see what I like better. Let me know if you have a favorite color that is better for eating.

What is in it?

Well, as far as nutritional content goes [1], one half of an Ugli fruit (think of a serving as the size of half of a grapefruit) is only 45 calories, contains no fat, no sodium and

• 11 grams of carbs. Of those carbs, 2 grams are fiber (yay fiber!) and 16 grams are sugars ( which are naturally occurring!)

• 70% of the Daily Recommended Value (DRV) of Vitamin C

How the heck do you eat one?

I had no idea how to eat this thing. I kind of thought I needed to peel it because the outside felt like most citrus fruits. But you never know! So I looked it up. Most people seem to eat it like a grapefruit either by cutting it in half and scooping out the segments out with a spoon (my dad does that when he eats grapefruit. I am not so much a fan of grapefruit). Some peel it and eat it like you would eat an orange.

I decided to try to peel it. The peel was thicker and harder to dig into with my fingertips, so I used a knife to cut off the top. That made it easier to peel.

I peeled it and broke it into segments like and orange and gave it a shot.

It's a little bit more fiber-y than an orange. The texture reminded me more of a grapefruit, but I liked the flavor a lot better. It's not bitter. Bitter better butter bother brother. Say that ten times fast! So, for those who don't like grapefruit (like me), this may be the fruit for you (and me).

It's juicy and sweet, but not too sweet. I like it!  I think I will get a bunch and juice them. It has so much naturally occurring Vitamin C. Good stuff.

All righty...that's all for U for today. What the heck are we going to do now for V??? Let me know if you have any ideas.

Have an Ugli (said in the nicest way) day! 

[1] Cabel Hall Citrus Limited. (http://www.ugli.com/nutrition.html)