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Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-02-27 Origin: Site
Over the past two decades, mandarins have surged in popularity across the United States, thanks to extensive marketing campaigns that highlight their convenience. These small, easy-to-peel citrus fruits have become a favorite, particularly among children, due to their sweet flavor and hassle-free consumption.
Despite their widespread appeal, mandarins are not technically oranges—though many oranges contain mandarin genetics. The common “sweet orange,” for instance, is a hybrid of a pomelo and a mandarin. In fact, pomelos, citrons, and mandarins are considered the ancestral citrus fruits, from which all modern citrus varieties have evolved through various hybrids and combinations.
Today, a wide range of mandarin varieties is available, offering diverse flavors and textures. Popular types include Sumo, Satsuma, Clementine, Dancy, Honey, King, Minneola Tangelo, Pixie, and Sunburst. Other notable varieties include Amparo, Emperor, Fortune, Golden Nugget, Kara, Le-dar, Oneco, Owari, Ponkan, Robinson, Sugar Belle, Super Nova, and Wase. With such variety, mandarins continue to captivate consumers and shape the future of citrus consumption.
Globally, China remains the leading producer of mandarins and/or tangerines.
Mandarin
The Mother Fruit! Mandarins originated in China, hence its name. The fruit has been grown on a large scale in China, as well as in parts of Japan, since the sixteenth century and arrived in Europe by the nineteenth century.
The term “mandarin” refers to Citrus reticulate, sometimes called “kid-glove oranges,” and is characterized by deep orange skin with easy peeling and separation of sections.
The Mandarin is one of three original citrus fruits (including the Citron and Pomelo) that lead to all other citrus fruits – in fact, Navel Oranges, Valencias (a summer orange), Blood Oranges and all other standard Oranges are thought to have originated with a Mandarin/Pomelo hybrid.
Mandarins are known for their easy-to-peel bright orange skin, sweet and juicy flavor, and small size. Compared to Oranges, Mandarins are smaller, with thinner, looser skins. The orange color of a Mandarin Orange tends to be deeper or richer than a standard Orange, and the shape is a bit squashier due to the looseness of the skin. The segments are easy to separate, and the flesh has seeds.
There are so many mandarin varieties, they can be grown in different regions. You'll find them available year-round in most grocery stores.
In the United States, these bright orange, round fruits are typically called mandarins. All tangerines are a type of mandarin but the reverse isn't true–not every mandarin is a tangerine.
Tangerines
The tangerine is one of the most popular varieties of oranges.Tangerines originated in Southeast Asia and have been cultivated for thousands of years. The name "tangerine" comes from the port of Tangier in Morocco, where the fruit was first shipped to Europe. Tangerines are technically Mandarins – specifically, they are a variety of Mandarin (like Satsumas are a variety of Mandarin). Today, the main tangerine-producing countries are China, Spain, Morocco, Turkey, and South Africa.
A tangerine typically appears as a small to medium-sized, slightly flattened fruit with a bright orange, pebbly skin that is easily peeled, and a juicy, segmented flesh with a sweet to slightly tart flavor, often considered sweeter and less tart than a regular orange; when ripe, tangerines should feel firm yet slightly soft to the touch and be heavy for their size.
Tangerines typically arrive in the produce section in November and stay through April or May, depending on the harvest year.
In Mandarin culture, tangerines symbolize luck and long-lasting relationships.
Spray-Dried Tangerine Powder
NFC Tangerine Pulp
Frozen Tangerine Jucie Concentrate
Clementines
Clementines are related to the small and sweet Mandarin orange that is grown in China. Clementines are a variety of Mandarin orange that were introduced into the US in the early 1900s for commercial sales. There is a story that Clementines were created from a Mandarin orange and tangerine by a French clergyman, Pierre Clement, in an Algerian monastery but that history is disputed by some who say that the Clementine came from China in the same way that the Mandarin orange and other fruits did.
Comparing the two types: Tangerines are rounder in shape and tend to be flatter at the top and bottom, so they may not roll as easily. Clementines, on the other hand, have an oval form.
The exterior is a deep orange colour with a smooth, glossy appearance. Clementines can be separated into 7 to 14 segments. Similar to tangerines, they tend to be easy to peel. They are typically juicy with less acid than oranges, and very sweet with a slightly tangy flavor, often described as a balanced sweetness and acidity.
Similar to tangerines, you'll find clementines at the store in the late fall through spring.
Clementines are very often called “Christmas oranges” because their limited growing season falls during the winter.
Clementines have grown in popularity as an on-the-go snack, and no wonder – they’re seedless, easy to peel, and satisfying to the sweet tooth. These qualities also make them ideal for a child’s lunchbox, along with the fact that they’re lower in acid than other oranges and so very sweet while remaining a very refreshing snack.
Satsuma Mandarins
Satsuma mandarin may have originated in China, but it was first reported in Japan more than 700 years ago, where it is now the major citrus species grown. They are named from the Satsuma Province in Japan, which is located on the southwestern-most tip known as present-day Kyushu.
Satsumas are mostly seedless and has a tender texture with a skin that is thin and leathery and is lightly attached around the fruit, making them easy to peel. Satsumas are round with a yellow-orange skin and a bright orange color inside.
Slightly flattened with thin, leathery skin, mandarin rinds go from smooth to bumpy as the fruit matures and separates from the interior flesh, giving them their easy-peel reputation. Satsumas tend to be sweeter and more tender than other mandarins, but this also means they bruise quite easily which can be why they are trickier to find at your local grocery store.
Satsuma oranges have a relatively brief fruit bearing season, between October and December.
They can withstand temperatures as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Satsumas grow in humid areas and can be ripe while the skin is still green.
Sumo Citrus
Sumo Citrus is the brand name for a type of fruit called shiranui mandarin, which is commonly referred to as the Dekopon, itself a brand name, in its home country of Japan.
They are a hybrid citrus fruit which are a cross-breed of Navel, Pomelo and Mandarin oranges. The Sumo Citrus was developed in Japan in 1972 with traditional plant-breeding techniques, but California farmers started growing them in the late 1990s. Technically the Sumo Citrus didn't become available to the public until around 2011, since the trees take years to start bearing fruit.
The Sumo orange is a large citrus fruit easily recognized by its distinctive protruding knob at the top. It tastes very sweet, with a balanced refreshing acidity, and a distinct mandarin orange aroma, with a mild tartness, making it both refreshing and delicious. Its easy-to-peel texture, combined with a natural cushion around the fruit, ensures a hassle-free eating experience.
Sumo mandarins are available only from January through April. They are among the most difficult citrus fruits to cultivate, which contributes to their short growing season.
Easy to recognize. It is the biggest mandarin. It has a distinctive shape with a prominent "top-knot." It is also pricier.
Oranges, and all citrus fruits, originated in the Southeast Himalayan foothills, in a region including the eastern area of Assam (India), northern Myanmar and western Yunnan (China). China has traits that are characteristic of current major citrus groups, and provides evidence for the existence of a common Citrus ancestor within the Yunnan province approximately 8 million years ago.The sweet orange, which accounts for 70% of global orange production, is a hybrid of ancient cultivated origin between pomelo (citrus maxima) and mandarin (citrus reticulata).
It has a sweet and tangy taste, often described as juicy and slightly sour, with a distinct citrus flavorDifferent orange types can vary slightly in appearance and taste, like navel oranges (seedless and very sweet) and Seville oranges (very tart, often used for marmalade).People can buy navel oranges nearly any time of year, but true navel orange lovers will be best to buy oranges between November and January when the taste is at perfection.
People can buy navel oranges nearly any time of year, but true navel orange lovers will be best to buy oranges between November and January when the taste is at perfection.
There are over 600 different types of oranges grown across the world. About 85% of all oranges are used to produce juice. There are normally only 10 segments inside an orange.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2023)
• Oranges are second in size to the grapefruit. This citrus fruit has a thick skin, is round in shape, and has a tart flavor.
• Mandarins are a type of orange and the overarching category that Tangerines, Clementines, and Satsumas fall into. They are generally smaller and sweeter than oranges, a little flatter in shape, and they and have a thinner, looser skin that makes them easier to peel.
• Tangerines are a specific type of mandarin orange. They are a bright orange color, slightly tougher skins, and their flavor is a little less sweet and a bit more tart.
• Clementines are the smallest type of mandarin orange. They are super sweet, seedless, and have red-orange skins that are smooth and shiny. The mandarins you see in grocery stores called Cuties and Sweeties are Clementines. They are easier to peel than tangerines, but not as easy to peel as Satsumas.
• Satsuma Mandarins are a specific type of mandarin orange, originating in Japan more than 700 years ago. They are a lighter orange, sweet, juicy, and seedless. They are also the easiest variety to peel. The most tender, easily damaged type of mandarin, Satsuma mandarin oranges are harder to find fresh in stores.
• Sumo Mandarins are unique in shape, seedless, easy to peel and section, and juicy without being drippy. Their large size and extra-sweet flavor is very satisfying. They are also pricier in grocery store.
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