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Mandarine
Mandarin is a citrus fruit. It is the fruit of the mandarin tree, a tree of the Rutaceae family.
The fruit with a diameter of 5 to 8 cm is spherical and slightly flattened. Its flesh, sweet and fragrant, is one of the least acidic among citrus fruits, but it has many pips. Its bark is thin, of a red-orange color.
A tangerine is usually divided into ten districts. A neighborhood is sometimes called a shine, a cushion, a thigh or, in Perigord, a "pearl" or Chalais a pod, in Alsace, "a schnitz"
Varieties and characteristics:
Mandarin has several names, some referring to hybrids. Most early mandarins are of the Japanese satsuma variety which includes about 200 cultivars. The high-season tangerines are mainly Mediterranean and Asian tropical hybrids "ponkan" appreciated in India, Brazil ... Clementine, meanwhile, is a hybrid between a tangerine and a sweet orange, known to be seedless and to the taste more acidulated. It is the most sold variety in Europe.
Mandarin can peel easily. Starting from the top of the fruit, the quarters can be separated without losing any juice. These qualities make it an easy fruit to consume.
Its energy value is about 40 kcal / 100g.
Use :
The uses of mandarin are identical to those of orange. It is particularly appreciated as a fruit of the mouth. Bark and juice are used in drinks (liqueur, condiments, beer, etc.), in salty and sweet cuisine.
Tangerine skin can also be used in medical preparations, especially in traditional Chinese medicine.
Conservation:
Mandarin will keep for about a week at room temperature. This time can be doubled by placing it in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
Culture :
The mandarin tree is a small tree with bright green single leaves. He is from Southeast Asia (China and Vietnam). It has been known in Europe only since the beginning of the nineteenth century.
It is grown in Spain, Sicily, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and the United States. In areas that are too cold, it is grafted onto Poncirus so that it can withstand the harsher winters.
Production:
Common mandarin is gradually being replaced by its seedless hybrids, including clementine (a hybrid of sweet orange and mandarin orange), which alone accounts for 80% of the easy peeler market in France.
The remaining 20% is dominated by hybrids, mainly clemenvilla (tangelo and clementine cross) and ortanics (tangerine and orange hybrids).