Dekopon

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iDekopon

A Dekopon

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Rutaceae
Genus:	Citrus
Species:	Reticulata

Binomial name

Citrus reticulata Siranui

Dekopon (Japanese: デコポン) is a highly sweet and expensive hybrid between ChungGyun mandarins and Ponkan that are grown in Japan and Korea, presumed to be first cultivated in the early 1990's. They have been increasingly common in the Brazilian state of São Paulo.

Dekopon fruit is quite distinctive due to its sweet taste, large size and to its quite large protruding bump on the top of the fruit. Its name is most likely derived from a Portmanteau between the kanji 凸 (deko; meaning 'uneven') as a reference to its protruding bump, and the 'Pon' in Ponkan (ポン柑; one of the fruits that it is derived from) to create 'Dekopon' (デコポン).

Due to both its size and sweetness, Dekopon fruits are quite expensive. One fruit costs roughly ¥750 (US$6.60). The fruits are usually grown in large greenhouses to keep them at a constant temperature, and are harvested during January (winter in Japan). After harvesting, Dekopon fruits are usually left for a period of 20-40 days so that the levels of citric acid in the fruit lower while the sugar levels increase, to make a more appealing taste for the market.

Dekopon fruits have become quite popular in Japan, with the chewing candy brand giant Hi-Chew (ハイチュウ) even making a Dekopon flavour.

There are many market names for Dekopon. For instance, Dekopon is the market name for the fruits originating from Kumamoto. The ones grown in Hiroshima are marketed as Kiyopon. The ones grown and marketed in Korea are called 한라봉(Hallabong) named after Hallasan the mountain located in Jeju-do, where it is primarily grown.

Brazilian farmers have succeeded in adapting the variety to tropical to temperate climate in the highlands of São Paulo state. The work is done by farmers of Japanese origins. Dekopon is easily harvested from May to September. In the high season for dekopon, each fruit costs around US$ 0,50 at the Brazilian street market and supermarkets.