It’s likely that you’ve seen a lot of variety of citrus pop up at the grocery store over the last few months. That’s because, despite its tropical vibe, citrus season runs from November to June, but hits its peak in December, January, and February. This means that not only oranges, lemons, limes, and mandarins are ripe (pun-intended) for the taking during this time, but other not-so-common varieties may also become available in your area. Keep an eye out for calamansi with a tart intensity of a lime with the sweetness of an orange, kumquats, which can be eaten peel and all, pomelo, the biggest citrus variety of them all, or yuzu, which is a great addition to cocktails. (Psst — check out our full guide to citrus.)
But one that might look like a deformed orange to you is something call Sumo Citrus. Maybe you’ve seen it at the grocery store or purchased by your favorite content creator who covered it in dark chocolate and sea salt. Either way, you need to give this funny-looking citrus variety a chance.
What is Sumo Citrus?
Sumo Citrus or Sumo oranges are the product of cross-breeding. It’s a hybrid of three different types of oranges — a mandarin, satsuma, and navel — but you can think of it as a super sweet mandarin. It’s identified through its raised bump top and thicker orange peel. What makes the Sumo so great is it doesn’t have all the drawbacks of other citrus you peel and eat. The Sumo Orange is super easy to peel and the white pith doesn’t stick to the flesh of the orange, making the eating experience much more enjoyable. It’s also, as mentioned before, very sweet and delicious and doesn’t have seeds.
Why is it called a Sumo Orange?
This citrus was originally developed in Japan in the 1970s, but was brought to the U.S. in the 1990s. In Japan, the Sumo Orange is known as a Dekopon, but in the U.S., it’s called Sumo because the raised bump on the top vaguely resembles a sumo wrestlers top-knot hairstyle.
Where can I buy Sumo Oranges?
During this time of year, you can likely find them at your local grocery store. The company Sumo Citrus, who were the first ones to cultivate the fruit in the U.S., have a store locator on site where you can enter you zip code to find the closest place that has them in stock. They also have some very cute merch they sell online.
How can I eat a Sumo Orange?
The best thing about a Sumo Orange is that you can eat it as it. It’s a perfect on-the-go snack to eat midday or late night because it’s so sweet and delectable on its own. But if you want to take it a step further, you can dip the segments in melted dark chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt. You can also slice it up and add it to salads or yogurt bowls.