Guide to Korean Hybrid Fruit

With constant advancements in science and technology, it is no surprise that these developments have extended to the food we eat. While we are already aware of GMO foods, you may not have heard of some of these interesting fruits from Korea. Farmers have been able to create hybrid fruits and vegetables, which have become immensely popular in Korea. Hybrid fruit involves the cultivation of different existing fruits, either to create an entirely new fruit or to develop and improve the original fruit. We take a look at a few hybrid fruits that are enjoyed in Korea.

Oroblanco

The Oroblanco, also affectionately known as the Sweetie, is a hybrid of grapefruit and pomelo. By cultivating these two fruits, the oroblanco is like a grapefruit without the bitter taste, instead offering a sweet flavour. If you’re one to add a sprinkling of sugar to the top of a grapefruit to make it more pleasant tasting, then the oroblanco is one for you!

Yuja

The yuja fruit (also known as yuzu in Japan and youzi in China), is a citrus fruit commonly enjoyed in southeast Asian countries. It resembles a mixture of lemon and orange and is believed to be a hybrid of ichang papeda and the mandarin orange. It presents a deliciously fresh aroma with a tart flavour, and the fruit is most commonly used in teas. Some countries around the world ban the import of foreign fruit, so you may be unable to find yuzu at your local greengrocer or supermarket; however, you should be able to get your hands on yuja tea if you want to experience the taste and its vitamin C benefits!

Mango Watermelon

In Korea, there are over 700 different types of watermelon available, each grown to be different sizes and levels of sweetness. Hybrid watermelons were initially grown to try and develop a seedless variety. Fruit hybrids tend to be a changing trend in Korea, always developing to try and achieve the latest taste desired by the people. One such development was the mango watermelon, which has yellow flesh and a higher sugar content than a regular melon, making it more like a mango. These melons are also far smaller than your average watermelon, making them better suited to smaller families, or those who don’t want to waste a whole melon if they can’t eat it all.

Korean Melon

One of the most popular hybrid fruits in Korea, the Korean Melon is an oval-shaped melon that features distinctive white lines across its yellow-orange skin. Cutting into the melon, you’ll find white fruit that is semi-filled with seeds. These can be sliced off to eat the melon fruit alone, although it is more common in Korea to eat the fruit seeds-and-all. The Korean melon provides a sweet taste, although it is far less sweet than the melons commonly enjoyed in the West.

Banapples

As you may have guessed from the name, a banapple is a cross between a banana and an apple. These were developed due to the fact that bananas typically have a far shorter life than apples, with this hybrid aiming to extend the time in which a banana is good to eat.The banapple is much stubbier than a regular banana and has distinct apple notes in its taste! It was actually developed in Japan, despite being popular in Korea. As well as the banapple, rose bananas were also created to produce a banana with a vanilla flavour!

Hallabong

Hallabong is a hybrid of the mandarin orange. It may also be known as dekopon in other countries but is referred to as hallabong in Korea due to the fact it is grown on the Halla-san mountain in Jeju. It has a sweet taste and makes great fruit juice; if you can’t find the actual fruit in your country, then you may be able to find hallabong juice at a Korean supermarket. The hallabong has been bred to be seedless and easy to peel, making it a popular fruit in Korea. In fact, it is so popular that these fruits are even given as gifts and can be found in large boxes! What fruit hybrid would you most like to try?