Banpeiyu Delivery or Pickup

Apples, oranges, and pears are common fruits you likely place in your shopping cart on a regular basis, but if you want to try something new, the banpeiyu might intrigue you. This large citrus fruit belongs to the pomelo group. The fruit grows primarily in Asia in places such as Japan and Taiwan. For this reason, it can be challenging to get banpeiyu in U.S. markets, but it's worth looking for if you want to add a unique and tasty option to your regular fruit varieties. When you add a banpeiyu to your cart, you're in for a surprise.

Banpeiyu is the world's largest citrus fruit variety. In fact, this fruit set a Guinness World Record when one grower produced a banpeiyu that weighed more than 10 pounds and measured just over 11 inches in diameter. An average banpeiyu can easily weigh 5 pounds or more, whereas the average orange weighs just 5 to 6 ounces. The banpeiyu is the most popular citrus fruit in Japan, where they eat it fresh and use it for its fragrant qualities.

Banpeiyu grows best in the warmest parts of Japan. In fact, Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, produces about 90% of the banpeiyu grown in the country. It came to Japan from Taiwan in the 1920s, but its exact origin is unknown. Historians believe, however, that it came from the Malayan region. Use the Instacart app to find a store that carries banpeiyu so you can try this unusual citrus fruit for yourself! It's not available at all locations, but we partner with many stores to help you find the products you want to buy.

In addition to its large size, banpeiyu has several qualities that make it stand out from its citrus fruit relatives. The peel of the banpeiyu is very thick, so you'll have to cut into it, unlike with oranges or lemons that you can peel easily by hand. The fruit also has a thick white pith on it when you get to the flesh. 

Banpeiyu offers a well-balanced flavor that's the perfect mix of sweet and tart. Its flesh is juicy, making it an excellent fruit for juicing and turning into jelly. Many people like to keep the rind thanks to its strong fragrance. Banpeiyu also improves with age, so you can keep this fruit for several months without worrying about it going bad.

To pick out the best banpeiyu, you'll need to know what to look for in its coloring, weight, and shape. The outer rind of this fruit is a pale yellow and should feel firm due to its thickness. You want to choose heavy fruits that indicate a high juice content. Your banpeiyu should have an almost cylindrical shape and be quite large in your hand — some might even need two hands to hold.

Avoid banpeiyu that have holes in the skin, noticeable bruises, or soft spots. Banpeiyu continues to ripen after it's picked, so don't be concerned about choosing fruit that's not fully ripe. If you have a busy schedule, let an Instacart shopper pick out your banpeiyu to save you time. Just add the number of banpeiyu you want to your cart via the Instacart app, and a shopper will deliver it to you within 24 hours!

Because banpeiyu is good for several months after it's harvested, getting this fruit fresh isn't usually a problem. To tell if you have a fresh banpeiyu, check for a strong, sweet fragrance. When you open it, check to see that the pith is thick and white around the fruit, and the flesh is juicy and yellow. The fruit is harvested starting in mid-November, so look for them in stores from late fall through winter.