What to Know About Satsuma Tangerines
Image by grand grrl via Flickr
Whether you know it or not, there's a good chance you have come in contact with satsuma tangerines. Often enjoyed during the holiday season, the satsuma is one of the most popular varieties of tangerine available. It's also one of the most easily-identifiable mandarin oranges on the market, and there are a number of reasons why it has become so popular.
Satsuma tangerines themselves are not an individual variety of mandarin orange, but a subgroup of a larger citrus variety known as unshiu. Their earliest known origins trace to Japan, and today they are popular not only in Asia, but also in Mexico, the middle east, and Mediterranean countries.
Satsuma tangerines are identified by their characteristic loose skin and ease of peeling. When pitted against other tangerines, this is one of the reasons satsumas enjoy such great popularity. They're particularly easy for casual snacking as anyone can grab one from the fruit basket and enjoy nearly effortless satisfaction. The fact that they're seedless only adds to how easy it is to eat satsumas. This is one fruit that doesn't require any spitting or breaking of teeth to be enjoyed.
The downside to their delicate skin, however, is that if one of these tangerines is bruised or otherwise damaged, it may not be apparent until the skin has been peeled away. The outside of the fruit tends not to show damage.
Though slightly sour and ranging anywhere from dark orange to red in color, satsuma tangerines are just as good for use in desserts as any other tangerine variety. Many a chef likes to caramelize tangerine sections for use in a number of sweet dishes to be served after a main course. They're also excellent alongside nuts, chocolate, and nearly any dish with strong mint flavoring.
In the United States, sales of satsuma tangerines usually go up during the holiday season as they are very cold hardy compared to other fruits and can be grown in California, Texas, Florida, and other states along the Gulf of Mexico into the winter months. In fact, satsuma tangerines are usually in greatest abundance during colder times of year.
Whether it's the ease of eating one or the hankering you get for fresh citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits or tangerines during the winter when most fresh fruits are less readily available, it's not difficult to see why satsuma tangerines are such a popular commodity. Their trademark dark color and loose skin allow them to stand out from the rest, and no Christmas dessert is complete without at least a section or two satsuma on the side.
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