Pompia

It’s a fruit. You’ve never heard of it? Not surprising, as it’s one of the rarest fruits in the world. However, thanks to the inclusion of pompia in various Sardinian desserts and liqueurs, the fruit survived.

Its scientific (and pretty accurate) name is Citrus monstruosa. But it could just as easily be known as Citrus misteriosa; its origins are unknown, and, until relatively recently, there were only a few hundred pompia trees left in the world – all of these within the area of Siniscola in Sardinia.

So what exactly is it? That’s open for debate. It’s certainly a citrus fruit of some kind, growing on a tree that resembles an orange, with fruits the size of a grapefruit, and has a gnarly yellow rind and very thick pith.

And the taste? The pulp is so bitter as to be inedible, so it must be removed, along with the acidic juice. The process takes about six hours. First, there is the careful removal of the zest (which can be used to make liqueur), keeping the pith intact. Then the pulp is removed, leaving a hollow ball that is soaked in honey and then simmered for around three hours. This is known as sa pompia intrea, which can be filled with chopped almonds (sa pompia prea).

What’s mysterious is that anyone discovered that it had any value at all. But that liqueur? Delicious, but you’ll have to come to Sardinia to try it.