Mad for mandarins: Six great recipes for winter’s sweetest fruit
Mandarins
One of the most exciting developments at farmers markets in the last several years has been the proliferation of new types of mandarins, formerly known as tangerines. While once you could only find two or three types all year -- and rarely varietally labeled -- now there are many.
Whether you’re talking about the elusive dekopon -- big as a baseball -- or the little Ojai pixies (or even smaller kishus -- these cute little devils are not much bigger than a pinball), they each have slightly different flavors and appearances. Thank goodness the season lasts long enough to explore them all.
If you’re not familiar with mandarins, you may know them better as tangerines. That is the name used for one of the first varieties that was imported into the United States -- from Tangiers, Morocco.
RECIPES: Six ways to prepare mandarins
In fact, until relatively recently, most of the mandarins Americans found at market were imported. Then California farmers, inspired by the success of imported Spanish clementines, started planting them like crazy.
No wonder: They’re easy to peel, with a wonderful sweet-tangy flavor, and often seedless (this varies by variety and how they are grown). Is there a better winter snack than a mandarin?
One important note, though -- in my experience, few fruits more clearly reveal the effects of the area in which they were grown and the hand of the farmer who grew them. When you’re trying to select the best fruit, you’ll be better off following a favorite farmer than going for specific varieties.
How to choose: Look for mandarins that are deeply colored and firm. If they are sold with the leaves attached, make sure the leaves are fresh and flexible.
How to store: Because their skins are so thin, mandarins are one citrus fruit that needs to be refrigerated, tightly sealed in a plastic bag.
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RECIPES: Six ways to prepare mandarins
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