Tangerines are one of the favorite fruits of adults and children. This delicacy came to us from Asia, and became a decoration and a symbol of the New Year in our country. No Christmas feast is complete without these bright, sunny “balls.
Tangerines are not only tasty, but also useful, they contain vitamin C, D and vitamin K. It is very important to know that thanks to the citric acid in mandarins, there are never nitrates, it is a product that is safe for health. But do not forget that the mandarin belongs to the citrus family, and therefore can be allergenic, so do not get carried away eating them in large quantities.
How to choose a good tangerine
On the shelves we see different tangerines every day: large and very small, bright orange and yellowish. So how to choose the tastiest tangerines? Let’s understand their types and flavors.
There are three varieties of tangerines – warm-loving noble, small-leafed tangerines (“Italian”) and unshiu (cold-resistant, “Japanese”). There are also hybrids of tangerines. One of the best known is the clementine (a mixture of mandarin and orange-corn). They are flattened and have a red-orange coloration.
Tangerines are easy to pick. By eye, you can even determine their taste, you only need to look closely at the tangerine shape. The most sour, are considered tangerines unshiu – they are slightly flattened, have a medium size. But they have one undeniable advantage – they are seedless.
Larger, thick-skinned mandarins are easy to peel, but they are not known for their sweetness.
The juiciest and sweetest are clementines, they are small, and as mentioned above, bright orange.
In addition to size, mandarins can and should be purchased with reference to their country of origin.
How to choose a good tangerine
The most famous Moroccan tangerines. If that country is indicated on the price tag, it means mandarins will be seedless and sweet. Their skin is thin, but easy to peel.
Tangerines from Turkey, on the other hand, have several pips in each slice, their taste with a slight sourness. The size is small, thin-skinned.
Spanish tangerines are very juicy and sweet. The size of these tangerines is the largest. The peel is porous and there are a few pips inside.
If the producing country is unknown the mandarins can be identified by their color: Moroccan ones are thin-skinned and bright orange, Turkish ones are yellow-green and also thin-skinned, Spanish ones have thick peel and are big, often with green twigs.
Well, if you came across a tangerine the size of a walnut, do not be surprised, it is an exotic tangerine – kumquat. Such tangerines are eaten with their peels, they have a bitter taste and a bit bitterness. Such mandarins stand out from the others and the price – from 500 rubles per kilo. Not everyone can afford such mandarins, perhaps more for the satisfaction of curiosity, because their taste is for the amateur.
How to choose good tangerines
More often than not, mandarins are bought by the kilo, so storage is important. Clementines are stored the longest, about a month. Spanish tangerines with twigs, also subject to long storage. The best place for this, of course, the refrigerator. If stored in another place, the temperature must not exceed +6 so that the mandarins do not dry out. A popular way of storing the hostess – canning, then the banks can be stored for a long time in the pantry.
In conclusion, I would like to say that there is no match for taste or color. If you are asked to buy tangerines, it does not mean that you are specifically asked to buy sweet. You may be expected to have sour or exotic tangerines. When you come to the store, don’t be lost in the abundance of sunny and bright fruits, take a look around and make the right choice!
