My wife has recently introduced me to this wonderful citrus fruit called the Sumo. When you first look at it you are not quite sure what it is, but it is intriguing. You say to yourself, “I wonder what this tastes like?” To keep you wondering I will first start with a little bit of history of the Sumo.
It was originally developed in the 70’s, in Japan, and was called the dekopon, now known as sumo. It was developed by crossing the satsuma mandarin and a California orange, resulting in a sweeter citrus fruit. Or as my wife describes it, it’s the shape of a orange, peels like a clementine, and has the sweet citrus flavor of both fruits.
The shape resembles a sumo wrestler with the point on top resembling the iconic hair and leading to the round shape that resembles their bodies. It is now commrecially grown in California, which began in 1991, so cost could be cut on shipping.
The sumo trees have many blooms throughout the year, however, the later the bloom the sweeter the fruit. Sumos are only in season for a short time, February through May. The best time to buy them is the end of April.
So run out to the store and buy yourself some before they are out for the season!
Sumo
Historyeats 