New Year's tangerines: which country tastes better? Which tangerines are the most delicious? What are the best tangerines?

Mandarin is the winter fruit for our latitudes. As soon as bright orange fruits appear on the shelves, the air immediately begins to smell like open champagne, sweets and a decorated Christmas tree. What can we say, we associate all the winter holidays with the smell of this particular citrus! Therefore, in winter we eat a lot of tangerines, bringing them from stores in large bags. I ate one, a second, a third... Now the kilogram is gone.

What are the most delicious tangerines? After all, there are so many orange fruits on the shelves! They are brought from Spain, Italy, Abkhazia. We decided to conduct our own national examination.

Tangerines from Abkhazia are actually from... Turkey?

To buy our favorite tangerines, we go to one of the major capital markets.

Take the tangerines! Delicious, sweet! - the sellers beckon us to the counters.

And the choice, I must say, is large. First, we buy orange fruits from Spain, there are the most of them on the shelves. There are small ones, and there are large ones without seeds. We take both. By the way, the most popular variety of Spanish tangerines we sell is clementine. This is a hybrid of tangerine and orange, which was created back in 1902.

Another sunny country supplying orange fruits is Italy. They are slightly smaller in size than Spanish ones.

Take Abkhazian ones, taste of childhood! - they call us to another counter.

Yes, receiving a couple of tangerines as a gift in Soviet times was real happiness for a child! There is still a shortage.

I’ll tell you a secret: they don’t sell real tangerines from Abkhazia like they did in childhood,” the seller at the next counter whispers in our ear. - In fact, this is Turkey, they are just very similar in appearance, with green streaks on the skin.

Oh Morocco! - we see pale yellow tangerines, the size of a table tennis ball. Let's take them too.

A minute later our gaze stops at the price tag of 85 thousand rubles. And this is not per kilogram of meat, but per kilogram of tangerines! We read: “extra-class variety.” For comparison: the price tag for ordinary tangerines on the market varies from 14 to 35 thousand rubles.

Why are these so expensive? - we ask the seller.

If you try, you’ll find out... - the woman answers conspiratorially. - This is a completely different taste! They are environmentally friendly and are not treated with anything. They are taken directly from Spanish plantations to Moscow, and then they come to us.

Give me... uh, five things!

We won “golden” tangerines for 40 thousand!

In total, tangerines were selected for examination from:

We decided to evaluate the fruits based on seven characteristics: size, appearance, thickness of the peel, presence of a seed, juiciness, how easy they are to peel and how pronounced the sourness is. So, six editorial tasters gave tangerines scores from 0 to 5.

Proper tangerines should be easy to peel!

We start the tasting with Abkhazian ones.

It will be difficult to peel such a tangerine outdoors! - Katya complains. “You peel off the peel and the juice comes out.” Where to wash your hands afterwards? Yes, and the size is too small.

On the contrary, I like that they are small. You can eat several things at once,” Dasha picks up.

It turned out to be difficult to quickly remove the peel from tangerines - for this, in the “is it easy to peel” column, the fruits received a low rating. The tangerines turned out to be sour, but without seeds.

The appearance of the Moroccans caused distrust in everyone. They are somehow pale, as if unripe.

They don't clean well and don't smell like tangerines at all, but... like lemon! - the tasters were surprised. - They actually taste like oranges!

Almost everyone gave these tangerines a rating of 3 - 4. The main disadvantage of Moroccan fruits was that the peel was too thin, which was difficult to peel. Although the tangerines themselves turned out to be seedless and moderately sour.

Let's move on to Spain.

The peel is thick, they peel quickly,” says Lena. - And how delicious they are!

The tangerines were really sweet and juicy.

But there are too many seeds,” states Anya. - There are eight pieces in one tangerine!

“They are claiming first place,” Sergei declares authoritatively. But there is still a Spanish seedless variety to come. He's received a lot of praise. The tangerine was very easy to peel and turned out to be sweet with a pleasant sourness. True, I still got one seed for six tangerines. But for all the advantages, this oversight can be forgiven!

Tangerines from Italy did not cause much delight.

They are somehow tasteless, the tasters decided.

But when it came to extra-class tangerines, everyone’s backs automatically straightened out. We decided to give everyone half of it and eat it very slowly and very thoughtfully.

Hey, clean it carefully! - advice poured in.

It seems that they even smell different... Or is it just that?

There was a minute of silence, and Sergei was the first to decide to tell the truth.

Nothing special!

And they taste exactly the same as pitted Spanish ones,” stated the others, outraged by the price.

1st place: Spain (pitted) - 190 points

2nd place: Spain (extra class) - 184 points

3rd place: Spain - 180 points

4th place: Italy - 155 points

5th place: Abkhazia - 141 points

6th place: Morocco - 132 points

STAY IN TOUCH!

If you want to buy Spanish tangerines, pay attention to the fruit: each tangerine will almost always have a small sticker.

If you like tangerines from Italy, look at what boxes the seller stores them in. If they are in plastic, then they are Italian, you can’t go wrong.

It is best to store tangerines in the refrigerator, in the lower compartment or in a special freshness zone for fruits and vegetables. Be sure to remove the fruit from the bag and place the fruit next to each other. A plastic bag will not allow air to enter, which will reduce shelf life.

This question becomes especially relevant with the approach of the main winter holiday - New Year's Eve. The tradition of serving tangerines at the holiday table developed in Soviet times, when the only winter exotic was them - Abkhazian tangerines. Today the situation is completely different: there are many manufacturers, even more varieties, and sellers often do not tell the whole truth about their product. This article will help you navigate and choose the most delicious, ripe and healthy fruits.

First of all. pay attention to the quality of the fruit:

• There should be no rot or mold. It's not just tasteless, but dangerous to health.
• The skin has an even color, from yellow-orange to reddish, without spots or damage.
• Dryness or excessive softness of tangerines indicates a violation of storage and transportation conditions.
• It is the “classic” tangerines from Abkhazia that are considered the most environmentally friendly: they do not need to be transported from afar and, therefore, there is no need to treat the fruit with chemicals for preservation.

Ripeness is very important. And here you should not be guided by color, because it rather speaks about the sugar content. Abkhazian tangerines always look much paler than their Moroccan red-orange counterparts. The tangerine is ripe when:

• It is easy to clean.
• When squeezed slightly, juice is released from the skin.

The decisive factor when choosing is individual taste preferences. Some people prefer tangerines with sourness, while others prefer exclusively sweet ones. The most characteristic feature is the intensity of coloring of the skin of the fruit: the brighter, the sweeter. You can also try weighing the tangerine in your hand: sweet and sour varieties usually seem lighter.

For many buyers, the absence of seeds in tangerines is of fundamental importance, but this feature can only be determined by knowing the country of origin. So read the information on the packaging, ask the seller and choose:

• IN Abkhazian tangerines have few seeds and have a sweet and sour taste. The fruits are small, yellow-orange in color.
• Turkish, as a rule, are rather “bony”. Otherwise they are similar to the previous ones, but larger.
• For Spanish Tangerines are characterized by diversity: there can be many seeds, few, and sometimes there are varieties without them at all. The taste is usually sweet, the color of the peel is bright orange.
• Moroccan Tangerines are good not only for their small number of seeds, but also for their magnificent sweet taste. They also stand out from the rest in color - deep orange, almost red.
• Israeli They also do not differ in the abundance of seeds, their taste is sweet, and their skin color is orange. By the way, they ripen later than everyone else, so they appear on the shelves only in the middle of winter.

Video on how to choose the right tangerines

In search of the sweetest and juiciest tangerines

On the eve of the New Year, the house begins to fill with the smells of the Christmas tree, festive dishes, and, of course, the smell of tangerines. This scent is familiar to everyone since childhood; it cannot be confused with anything else.

How to choose tangerines - tasty, juicy and aromatic fruits? What should you pay attention to so as not to buy sour fruits? With the help of our tips, you can find the sweetest tangerines.

History of the Mandarin

The homeland of mandarin, according to researchers, is China. More than a thousand years ago, shrubs bearing juicy, refreshing fruits began to be grown in this country.

In the 18th century, mandarin was brought to Italy from China by traveler Michel Tecor. Tangerines came to Russia only at the beginning of the twentieth century; they were able to acclimatize to the weather conditions of the Caucasus.

Tangerines are rich in vitamins C, D, K, B, mineral salts, pectin, and essential oils. Due to the high content of citric acid, the fruit does not accumulate nitrates and harmful substances with which unscrupulous farmers could fertilize it.

Varieties of tangerines can be divided into 3 groups:

1) heat-loving, tangerines;
2) small-leaved, Italian tangerines;
3) Japanese cold-resistant statsums (unshiu); Such varieties are grown on the Black Sea coast.

How to choose the right tangerines

When purchasing, carefully inspect the fruit: check that there is no rot, mold, or dents on it.
The tangerine should be firm to the touch. Set aside hard, dry or soft fruits immediately. Ask the seller to demonstrate how easily the peel comes off and whether it is porous.
The heavier the fruit, the sweeter and juicier it is. When choosing, pay attention to the shape of the fruit: it should be approximately the same for one variety.
Ripe tangerines are evenly colored, ranging in color from yellow-orange to bright orange. The lighter the tangerines, the more sour they are. The sweetest fruits have a reddish skin.

Varieties of the sweetest tangerines

Mineola. This hybrid is obtained by crossing the Moroccan tangerine variety "Tangerine" with grapefruit variety "Duncan".
The fruits are shaped like a pot-bellied pear and have a bright orange color with a reddish tint. This tangerine has a very thin peel and a lot of seeds. The taste is sweet and sour, with a predominance of sweetness in the aftertaste.

Clementines. Hybrid of tangerine and orange. The variety was obtained at the beginning of the twentieth century. Juicier and sweeter than other varieties of tangerine. The fruits are small, have a thin glossy skin, and a lot of seeds.

Place matters

The taste of tangerine also depends on the country in which a particular variety is grown.

Abkhazian tangerines have a sweet and sour taste, with a pronounced sourness in the aftertaste, small in size, yellow-orange in color, juicy. On the skin of such a tangerine you can find greenish specks and veins. Easy to peel, few seeds.

Tangerines from Spain and large, with a thick peel that is easy to peel, bright orange in color. Juicy, sweet and sour, contain a small number of seeds.

Turkish tangerines They are distinguished by a large number of seeds, the fruits are small, the peel is thin, but difficult to separate. The more intense the color, the sweeter they are.

Moroccan mandarin They have a flattened shape, the color is bright, golden-orange. Seedless, the peel is very easy to remove.

If we talk about our gastronomic traditions, then the top 3, of course, will include Olivier salad, champagne and tangerines. On the eve of the New Year, we are tormented by the question of how to choose the right tangerines. After all, these citrus fruits are a mandatory attribute of the New Year holidays.

If you know how to choose tangerines, the fruit will not only support old holiday traditions, but will also improve your health. They increase appetite (which is important to try every New Year's dish) and activate metabolic processes. Vitamins also provide the body with many vitamins that are so necessary during the winter.

This is interesting! Tangerines, along with many other useful elements, contain choline. It is necessary for pregnant women because it reduces the risk of birth defects and malformations.

How to choose tangerines for the New Year's table so that they do not contain nitrates? In fact, tangerines contain citric acid, due to which the nitrate content in these fruits is completely eliminated. It is recommended to eat orange fruits together with white mesh, because it contains substances that strengthen blood vessels.

A visual inspection will help you determine how to choose tangerines for the New Year’s table so that the fruits are ripe and tasty. The peel of a ripe tangerine has a rich orange color, which is evenly distributed over the entire area of ​​the citrus fruit. In this case, the color of the pulp and peel should not differ. If the tangerine is ripe, then with the slightest pressure on its skin, juice should splash out.

Also, during a visual inspection, pay attention to the fact that the peel of the fruit is intact, without dents or stains. If soft spots are observed when palpating, this is a sign that the tangerines have already begun to rot.

Which tangerines are the most delicious? Manufacturer Features:

Abkhazian. They are small in size and have a thin peel with a yellow tint. They will taste a little sour. Not suitable for those who are looking for seedless tangerines, because they often have small seeds in the pulp;

Moroccan. They are small in size and have a slightly flattened shape. The color is bright orange, the peel is easy to peel. These are seedless tangerines and taste very sweet;

Turkish. Very small in size, have an orange peel or with shades of yellow. The peel is a little difficult to peel off. The taste is both sweet and sour, and the pulp contains many seeds. More than other varieties;

Spanish. Larger than regular tangerines and usually cost a little more. They have a bright orange thick skin that is very porous and peels off easily. The taste is sweet and juicy, occasionally there are seeds in the pulp;

In addition to ordinary tangerines, hybrids of these citrus fruits with other fruits are often sold today:

Clementine. Tangerines combined with oranges. Very sweet and juicy small-sized fruits with bright orange peel and pulp;

Tangelo (natsumikan) is a hybrid of tangerine and grapefruit. The fruit tastes more like an orange;

Mineola is also a hybrid of tangerine and grapefruit, the skin is orange with a red tint. They taste sweet, but are more like a pear in shape.

How tangerines became a symbol of the New Year's table

In the USSR, it was very difficult to find fruit for the New Year. But by December, tangerines were ripe in Abkhazia, which could be freely sold in all stores of the big country by the New Year. So they began to buy the only fruits available to the majority of the population for the New Year's table. Gradually, the pleasant taste of tangerines and its bright appearance began to be associated with the New Year and create a special festive atmosphere. Despite the abundance of fruit in modern stores, many still always take a kilogram of tangerines to the table.

How to choose tangerines. General rules:

1. Ripe tangerines will be of a uniform color, you will be able to distinguish the pores on their skin
;
2. When lightly squeezed, juice should squirt out of the tangerine peel;

3. There should be no soft areas on the fruit. They indicate that the fruit has begun to rot or has been frozen;

4. If the peel lags behind the fruit and there is space between them, you have ripe and sweet fruits;

5. Sweet tangerines seem heavier in weight, and sour tangerines seem lighter;

6. Regardless of the country of growth, sour varieties are usually flattened. And sweet tangerines are medium in size and have bright orange peel;

7. Very large fruits look beautiful and appetizing, but most often taste sour.

If you bought these fruits a week before the holiday, in order to preserve them, you need to store them at high humidity and air temperature +6.

By the way, tangerines are not only tasty fruits in themselves, but they can also give an unusual taste to familiar dishes. You know how to choose sweet tangerines, we suggest you find out a couple more recipes on how to serve these fruits unconventionally at the New Year's table in 2014.

To prepare the dish, take a head of cabbage (shredded), one carrot (grated on a coarse grater). Mix the vegetables, add salt and half a teaspoon of vinegar, then rub with your hands and put in a cool place. Grind three tangerines, one hundred grams of prunes and walnuts. Just before serving the salad, combine tangerines, nuts and prunes with cabbage and carrots. Season the salad with mayonnaise.

For this unusual New Year's dish you will need any fish fillet, lemon juice, 75 grams of margarine, half a glass of sour cream, two tangerines, two tablespoons of grated cheese and herbs to taste. Sprinkle the fillet with lemon juice. Finely chop the greens and simmer in margarine in a hot frying pan. Salt the fish, add pepper and place in a pan with stewed vegetables (choose vegetables to your taste), add sour cream and peeled tangerine slices. Sprinkle everything with grated cheese and bake in the oven for twenty minutes.

Now you know not only how to choose tangerines for the festive New Year's table, but also how to surprise with the help of these traditional and familiar fruits. Well, before you forget all the useful information, go shopping!

Like all citrus fruits, tangerines should be weighty. The heavier it is, the juicier and, therefore, tastier. Before purchasing, be sure to check for dents, cracks and other mechanical defects - the fruits are easily deformed and spoiled.

There is a dependence of the quality of fruits on their shape, supported by statistics. For example, if the fruit is flattened, then it will probably be sour (but without seeds). The large, thick-skinned fruits peel well, but the taste is not ideal. The most delicious tangerines are considered to be small in size with a bright orange color. This variety is called clementines.

In addition to clementines, there are other varieties - tangerines, distinguished by their greenish color and thin skin, and also mineola, the shape of which is somewhat reminiscent. It is believed that clementines are the most delicious, in addition, they are also better preserved.

Before choosing, it is also useful to find out the origin of the product. Most often, tangerines are brought from Turkey, Morocco, Spain, China, and Georgia. Turkish ones are inexpensive, but often sour and with bones, and are difficult to clean. Moroccan (clementines) are tasty and of high quality in all respects. Spanish ones are large, sweet, but expensive. Chinese (tangerines) – sweet and sour, with few seeds. Georgian ones are small in size, with a thin skin, but often slightly sour.

If the fruit has green on the skin, then the fruit is most likely unripe (and is unlikely to ripen at home). Tangerines are often sold with mold. Therefore, choose them carefully, examining each fruit separately. And, in addition, the peel must be thoroughly washed (mainly from chemicals), especially if you use it.

Tangerines should be stored carefully

Any damage can cause rapid spoilage, so these fruits must be stored carefully. When compared, for example, with, tangerines are considered a more perishable product.

Control humidity during storage. Tangerines are highly susceptible to drying out. It is recommended to store them in a regular refrigerator for no more than 2 weeks. The ideal storage temperature is 5-8 degrees Celsius, humidity is 90-95%. The maximum possible shelf life is 1.5 months, depending on the variety and degree of ripeness.

The delicious fruit clementine is actually a hybrid of a king orange and a mandarin orange. Bred in 1902 by the French priest Clement, who was fond of breeding. And the most delicious clementine is grown not in Morocco, but in Corsica (France).

Thus, we learned how to determine the most delicious tangerine. A lot depends on its origin and variety. Well, from a health point of view, do not forget to never check the fruits for quality and freshness.