In Cambodia, on the Mekong River, opposite the city of Kratie, the island of Koh Trong appears as a thin strip of green land on the river, surrounded by seasonal beaches and rice fields that turn from soft green to golden depending on the season. Among the vegetable crops, vegetable plantations and coconut palms, one tree dominates the imagination and the economy of the island: the pomelo (Citrus maxima, Kh: ក្រូចថ្លុង kroch thlong), often called “grapefruit” in everyday language, but which belongs to a very distinct species, sweeter and more aromatic. In Koh Trong, this grapefruit has acquired an almost mythical status, to the point of becoming the signature of the territory and benefiting from a nationally protected geographical indication.
The Koh Trong pomelo is first recognizable by its external appearance: a round to pear-shaped fruit, of respectable size – often close to half a basketball – with thick skin and a solid green that yellows only slightly when ripe. Unlike the more acidic grapefruits found in other markets, the flesh of this fruit is distinguished by a crunchy texture, almost brittle to the bite, and by a mild flavor, with moderate acidity and subtle floral aromas. The segments are easily detached, as the membranes remain firm and not very fibrous, making it easier to eat by hand or to integrate into fruit salads and savory dishes. The red variety is usually sweeter.
This sensory profile is no coincidence. The terroir of Koh Trong combines several factors that favor the quality of the citrus: a rich alluvial soil deposited by the floods of the Mekong, abundant access to water, and generous sun exposure, somehow moderated by the river breeze. The island functions as a floating garden that is constantly fed by sediments, which limits dependence on chemical inputs and allows dense crops of grapefruit, vegetables and rice to be maintained in a relatively small area. Farmers have learned, over generations, to balance planting density, tree size, and irrigation cycles to achieve regular fruit that is both sweet and juicy, without excess water that would detract from aromatic concentration.
From an agronomic point of view, Koh Trong grapefruit is grown according to practices that are still largely family-size and diversified. Orchards are not industrial monocultures: they are part of a patchwork of plots where rice fields, vegetable gardens, pastures and groves of fruit trees rub shoulders, which maintain a certain biodiversity and appreciable ecological resilience. Farmers practice regular pruning to control the height of the trees, facilitate harvesting and optimize the exposure of the fruit to sunlight, while making sure to aerate the foliage to limit diseases linked to the Mekong’s humidity. Organic inputs – domestic composts, manure, plant residues – still play an important role, supplemented in a reasoned way by modern fertilizers when productivity constraints are felt.
The most significant official recognition is the obtaining of Geographical Indication status for Koh Trong pomelo, a label that attests to the close link between the product and its production territory. This status, obtained in the late 2010s, was hailed locally as a collective victory: it protects the name “Koh Trong” from misuse, values the specific quality of the fruit and provides a basis for negotiating better prices on national and, potentially, international markets. In the Cambodian context, where few agricultural products still have such recognition, this label places Koh Trong pomelo alongside other emblems of the land such as Kampot pepper or certain fragrant rice, contributing to the construction of a quality image for the country’s agriculture.
In the local market, Koh Trong grapefruit commonly sells for a higher rate than regular citrus, reflecting its reputation and higher production costs. A good-sized fruit can fetch a retail price of up to 10,000 riels ($2.5), which is a significant income for families when the harvest is good. The island’s economy is thus woven around a multitude of players: producers, transporters who operate the crossing to Kratie, urban retailers, but also owners of guest houses who serve pomelo quarters for breakfast as a welcome mark. This short chain, rooted in the proximity between the island and the city, illustrates a local circuit model where the added value remains largely within the community.
The fruit also plays an important role in the tourist experience offered on Koh Trong, which over the years has become a popular stop for travelers looking for a slower pace along the Mekong River. Visitors, after a few minutes of crossing by ferry, reach a track that goes around the island, easily accessible by bike, on foot or by scooter, and successively discover rice fields, grapefruit orchards, traditional Khmer houses and small temples. Many families have opened homestays, sometimes named after the fruit, and include the tasting of grapefruit on their menus, whether in wedges served fresh, in simple desserts or in salads mixing salt, chili pepper and peanuts to enhance the contrast between sweetness and spiciness.
On a cultural level, the pomelo is part of a set of daily and ritual practices that go beyond the simple taste dimension. In many Cambodian households, fruit is frequently used as offerings on domestic altars or in pagodas, and the pomelo, by its size and color, lends itself particularly well to this role as a visible and generous offering. On Koh Trong, offering an island pomelo to relatives or visitors from other provinces is to affirm the identity of the land and express a certain island pride, a bit like pepper or palm sugar in other parts of Cambodia.
Culinary uses are not limited to tasting fresh fruit. In Cambodian cuisine and more broadly in Southeast Asian cuisine, pomelo can be used in salads made from shrimp, grilled pork or dried fish, where its crunchy segments, cut into small pieces or shredded, bring freshness, volume and a balance between sweetness and acidity that supports the lime juice sauce, with nuoc-mâm or chili paste. The peel and skin can be candied or used to flavor certain desserts, although these practices remain more marginal in Koh Trong than in other neighboring cultures. For travelers, discovering these preparations in a homestay or a small local restaurant helps to anchor the pomelo in a taste memory associated with the Mekong and rural sweetness.
A particularly interesting use concerns the mesocarp, the thick white layer located between the green zest and the pulp, which is transformed into candied bites so as not to lose any of the grapefruit. Once the pulp has been removed to be eaten fresh, the skin is cut into large strips including the white part, soaked for a long time in water to reduce the bitterness, then briefly blanched several times before being cooked over low heat in a dense syrup of sugar and water until the pieces become almost translucent. These strips are then dried at low temperature or in the open air, sometimes rolled in a veil of sugar, to give a candied mesocarp that is both tender and slightly firm, ideal for accompanying tea, topping cakes or bringing a citrus note to revisited Cambodian desserts, while prolonging the presence of Koh Trong pomelo well beyond the harvest season.
Nevertheless, the development of this sector is not without its challenges. The increase in demand, encouraged by the prestige of geographical indication and the growth of tourism, is pushing some producers to intensify cultivation, which is creating tensions on water resources, fertilization practices and the preservation of the diversity of food crops. Local authorities and partner organizations are trying to control this growth by promoting good agricultural practices, improving irrigation systems and providing training on orchard management, to ensure sustainable production without depleting the soil or compromising the quality of the fruit.
Climate change and the many dams built upstream on the Mekong River add an additional layer of uncertainty, including increased variability in the level of the Mekong River and changes in the flood schedules that traditionally nourish the island’s soils. Years of greater drought or excessive flooding can disrupt flowering, promote disease or reduce fruit size, forcing farmers to adjust their irrigation, drainage and orchard protection practices. Despite these challenges, the collective dynamic around grapefruit – cooperation between producers, support for local promotional initiatives, integration with the tourism offer – gives Koh Trong solid assets to adapt its model and continue to make the fruit a living symbol of the island.
For visitors and gourmets alike, the Koh Trong pomelo sums up a successful encounter between landscape, know-how and flavors. Biting into a quarter of this sweet and crunchy fruit, or into a piece of candied mesocarp with accents of citrus bark, while observing the rice fields and orchards that unfold between the river and the sky, is like tasting a concrete expression of the Cambodian Mekong, at its most peaceful and generous.
