Contributed by Jennifer Peachey

The seasonal arrival of those little orange citrus fruits, often called Christmas oranges, always puzzles me. Some are called mandarins; some are called tangerines. What’s the difference? Here’s what I found out.

Mandarins are from the mandarin tree, native to China and so named because the rind of the fruit was the same colour as the robes of the public officials of the Chinese empire – called Mandarins. Over the years a number of hybrids were developed. The common feature of this fruit is the easily peeled rind. Some are seedless while other have many seeds. All are an excellent source of vitamin C and contain potassium, vitamin A and folic acid.

The common hybrids of the mandarin fruit are:

Clementine: crossed with a bitter orange; thin, sometimes rough skin; juicy, slightly acid flesh.

Dancy: also referred to as a Tangerine; also crossed with a bitter orange; darker, thicker skin with an almost reddish hue; lots of seeds.

Satsuma: a Japanese variety that is very small and virtually seedless; most canned mandarins on the market are this variety.

Mandarin oranges, and the hybrids, are usually eaten on their own as a snack or dessert. They can also be used in fruit salads, sauces, sweet-and-sour dishes, rice salad, chicken, seafood and, very often, spinach salads. Mandarins are ideal to decorate cakes, puddings, and pies or eat with ice cream and chocolate fondues. I was able to find a couple of unusual recipes to compliment mandarins (see below) if they last long enough to make it to a main dish.

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