How to cook tangerine

Information for tangerine in our free cooking ingredients collection.

Tangerine

The tangerine is a citrus fruit, usually round and about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, smaller than the orange. Its rough, fragrant rind is generally orange or red-orange, thin, and loose on the fruit, so that it peels very easily. Inside, numerous fibers loosely hold the 8 to 15 easily separated segments, or carpels, that contain the juice sacs and white seeds. The center is hollow. Although the terms “tangerine” and “mandarin orange” are sometimes used interchangeably, tangerines actually are a subgroup of the mandarin.

Family - Rutaceae
Scientific name - Citrus reticulata
Common name - tangerine

High in vitamin C
A good source of vitamin A (carotenes)

Varieties

The most popular variety of tangerine in the United States is the Dancy, a very sweet fruit with a red-orange color and a mellow flavor. Honey tangerines, with their slightly green-tinged peel, are true to their name. They have a high sugar content and a rich taste. The Fallglo is a large tangerine with dark-orange rind and flesh. Two smaller sized varieties are the Clementine, also called the Algerian tangerine, and the Sunburst, which has a thin skin and deep-orange flesh.

Origin and botanical facts

Tangerines are native to China, but today they are grown all over the world. In the United States, the leading producers are California, Arizona, and Florida.

The name “tangerine” is derived from the ancient, walled Moorish town of Tangier in northern Morocco, where the fruit grows in abundance. As the cultivation of tangerines was carried around the globe, the original mandarin oranges were crossed with other citrus fruits, producing numerous hybrids such as the tangelo (a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit) and the tangor (a hybrid of a tangerine and an orange).

The tangerine tree is an evergreen that grows to a height of about 10 feet. The five-petaled tangerine blossoms are white and fragrant. It takes 6 to 10 months from the time the blooms appear until the fruit is ready for harvest. Tangerines grow year-round in warmer climates, and they are a traditional Christmas or New Year treat in some parts of the world.

How to cook tangerine

Tangerines are always picked when they are ripe, so they are ready for immediate consumption. Fruits should be heavy for their size and free of bruises. Color is not a reliable indicator of the quality of tangerines. The fruit is most often eaten as a snack or dessert or used in green salad or fruit salad. Tangerine slices also make an attractive garnish for cakes and other desserts. Freshly squeezed tangerine juice is a refreshing thirst quencher, either alone or combined in a blender with other fresh fruits. Tangerines can be substituted for oranges in various dishes. Meat, fish, and poultry can be marinated in tangerine juice before grilling, and tangerine juice poured over freshly sliced fruit helps keep the fruit from turning brown and adds a distinctive flavor. Tangerines also make an excellent marmalade.

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• Tamarind

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