Chinese tangerines look like miniature citrus fruits and are usually orange and oval. They have a strong and sour taste, typical of citrus fruits, and can be crossed with other fruits of this genus. Sometimes Chinese mandarins, also called fortunelle or kumquat, are classified as Rutaceae and not Citrus, so they belong to a different family than citrus fruits. The strangest feature of all is the sweet and delicious peel, which creates a striking contrast to the pulp when the fruit is eaten whole.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Eat a Chinese Mandarin
Step 1. Choose ripe fruit
Ripe Chinese tangerines have a color ranging from bright orange to yellow-orange. Avoid greenish specimens because they are immature. The skin should be firm and even, with no blemishes or dried out areas.
Step 2. Wash and dry the fortunella
No matter where you bought it, you still need to wash it under cold running water by scrubbing it with your fingers. Since the peel is edible, you must avoid ingesting traces of pesticides or soil with it. At the end, dry the mandarin by dabbing it with kitchen paper.
Step 3. Rub the kumquat (optional)
Some believe that rubbing or squeezing the fruit between their fingers releases a sweet, citrusy scent to the peel.
Step 4. Remove the seeds (optional)
The seeds are not poisonous, but they have the same bitter taste as those of orange. If you want to be picky, cut the Chinese mandarin in half and remove the seeds one by one. Alternatively, you can spit them out while eating the fruit or even chew them if you don't mind their taste.
Also detach the protrusion of the green stem
Step 5. Eat Chinese Mandarin
It usually has a sweet skin and a sour pulp. Taste the end of the fruit to first perceive the flavor of the rind. Once you have encountered the sour taste of the pulp, you can continue nibbling carefully on the mandarin or put it all in your mouth. If you can do this, you'll enjoy an explosive blend of sweet and tart flavors not found in any other fruit.
- Some varieties of fortunella are less harsh than others, while some have a thicker skin. If the flavor of the first fruit hasn't impressed you favorably, try another species or use the fruit for some culinary preparation.
- If you hate sour flavors, squeeze the juice and eat only the peel.
Step 6. Store the surplus kumquats
These fruits last up to two days at room temperature and about a couple of weeks in the refrigerator, inside airtight containers. You can enjoy them cold, straight out of the fridge or let them warm up a little, according to your tastes.
Method 2 of 2: Cooking with Chinese Mandarins
Step 1. Slice the kumquat and add it to salads
Its intense flavor makes it an ingredient that goes perfectly with bitter or peppery vegetables such as endive or rocket. Slice it into slices with a sharp knife, remove the seeds and then add it on top of the salad to show off its color.
Step 2. Make a jam
That of Chinese mandarin is definitely sweeter and less bitter than that of oranges. The recipe for cooking it is very similar to that of any other jam, but you can do some further research online.
Since Chinese mandarin seeds contain pectin, you can boil them along with the rest of the fruit to thicken the jam. Place them in a gauze "bundle" while you boil them, so they don't mix with the rest of the preparation
Step 3. Make an aromatic preserve with vinegar, sugar and spices
Just like vegetables, fortunelle can also be preserved in vinegar, having the foresight to use spices and aromas suitable for their flavor. It will take at least three days of work, but it will be worth it. Again, the internet is a great source for tons of recipes.
Step 4. Incorporate the kumquats into the meat dishes
The acid contained in these fruits gives a good aroma and flavor to lamb meat and poultry. When making braised or boiled meat, add the Chinese tangerines 30 minutes before the end of cooking. The fish goes very well with fortunelle, even if it is not necessary to marinate it in their juice. Add the fruit at the last minute of cooking, either as a garnish or mixed in a vinaigrette.
Step 5. Flavor the vodka with Chinese mandarin
Wash several fruits and cut them in half, you will need at least 10 for 240ml of vodka. Cover them entirely with alcohol and store them in a cool, dark place, remembering to shake the container once a day. After a couple of days the vodka will flavor slightly, while the flavor will be stronger after a week or two, steadily strengthening as the infusion proceeds for many weeks or months.
If you love sweet liqueurs, add some sugar too, up to 25g per 240ml of vodka
Step 6. Make some stewed fruit
In the United States, for example, Chinese mandarin made its first appearance with the typical dishes of Thanksgiving Day, where cranberry sauce cannot be missing. So take advantage of this opportunity and, if you want to try some "made in USA" dishes, prepare a sauce, chutneys and desserts with Chinese mandarin:
- Slice about 200 g of fortunelle. Remove the seeds and stems.
- Simmer them in a saucepan covered with 60ml of water until soft.
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Add one of the ingredients listed here:
- A can of cranberry juice.
- Or dried cherries, grated ginger, black pepper and cinnamon.
- Alternatively, mix in 150-200 g of sugar to blanch the fruit.
- Let the ingredients simmer for 10-15 minutes, without covering the pan, until the chutney is slightly translucent. Add water whenever the mixture appears to dry out.
Step 7. Freeze the peels to create "mini-cups"
Cut the largest Chinese tangerines in half, around the circumference. With a small spoon or melon digger, remove the sour, juicy pulp to add to your smoothie, fruit salads or ice cream. Freeze the hollow peels in airtight containers and use them to put a sorbet or other dessert inside.
Alternatively, do not remove the pulp, but dip the end of the fruit in a mixture of beaten egg white and honey. Then pass the fruits in a solution of brown sugar and cinnamon. Freeze them and eat them as an imaginative dessert
Step 8. Finished
Advice
- There are many varieties of Chinese mandarin that differ in shape (round or oval) and in color (yellow or orange). Crassifolia variety mandarins are the sweetest, while Japonica, Margarita and Hindsii are, in order, more tart.
- Most of the seeds are found in the end of the bud away from the stem. Cut this part to extract seeds, just a quick movement of the knife.
- The season for Chinese mandarins is winter. Those you find also in the other months of the year are probably imported and therefore are not fresh or juicy.
