Mandarin

The mandarin first made its way from India to China and was likely introduced to Europe by early Spanish or Portuguese explorers. The cultivation of the mandarin in southern Europe was several centuries later, in the 1850s, and it was not until the 1900s that the mandarin was firmly rooted in Californian and Floridian soil. The Chinese language known as Mandarin lends its name to this delightfully flavored fruit. Esteemed for its sweet and juicy flesh, as well as for its loose-fitting peel, mandarins are sometimes referred to as “kid-glove” oranges.