Mandarin Orange

Mandarin oranges, tangerines and satsumas are all members of the mandarin family, small bright-skinned and fragrant oranges that originated in China and were first brought to England in the 18th century.

Tangerines, which are characterized by a loose skin and lots of pips, were not actually called tangerines until the middle of the last century, when somebody with a shrewd commercial sense gave them what he thought was a more exotic and therefore more saleable name. Those of a certain age will always think of tangerines as obligatory Christmas stocking presents in the days when such sweet juicy fruit were a rare treat. Dried tangerine peel is a popular ingredient in Oriental cooking. Originally Japanese, the hardier satsuma is smaller and usually seedless.