How to choose tangerines: useful tips

Mandarins are not just a symbol of the coming New Year, but also a tasty juicy delicacy, which is very difficult to refuse. But not always the purchase is successful. Sometimes citruses are sour, dry, with a huge number of seeds inside. What to do? How to buy tasty and juicy tangerines, decorate their New Year's table and enjoy the juicy orange fruit? Is it possible to choose good tangerines only by external signs?

Producing country

Many wonder why tangerines have become a symbol of the New Year, because now a lot of fruits come to the country in winter, what's the point? Everything goes back to Soviet times, when decorating the table with fresh fruits for the New Year was a real problem. Of the natural and affordable fruit were only Abkhaz tangerines, which ripened in December. On the eve of this large-scale holiday, all the shelves of shops and markets were overwhelmed with tangerines.And it is really beautiful, because in the winter tangerines are a source of valuable vitamin C, protection against colds and flu. But today, not only Abkhaz tangerines come to the market, we will consider trading parties in more detail.

1. Abkhazian Even today, after many years, these tangerines are considered the most popular and tasty. The Abkhaz tangerines are not very attractive in appearance - the shape is slightly flattened, the skin with grayish spots is faded. The rind perfectly departs from the main pulp, literally rests on the "pips" above and below the fruit, and there is an emptiness between the rind and the pulp. But such tangerines are considered the most delicious and healthy. Abkhazian tangerines are very sweet, they have few bones or not at all. In addition, the lack of long-term shipping allows producers not to handle goods with various gases and chemicals, such a fruit is considered more environmentally friendly.
2. Turkish. Mandarins from Turkey appeared on the Russian market relatively recently. They delight the buyer with its glossy look and attractive price. However, tangerines often do not represent anything else.Very often they come across sour, with a lot of bones. The skin of Turkish mandarins is separated from the pulp with difficulty, the skin has a yellowish or greenish color.
3. Moroccan. This type of tangerines will appeal to many - these citruses have a rather sweet taste and characteristic pronounced aroma. Tangerines from Morocco are very bright, orange - almost red, they are easy to clean, rarely come across sour, almost do not contain bones. The appearance of Moroccan tangerines - smooth, shiny, dense. In the middle of the fruit can be found a small dent. These Moroccan tangerines are decorated with a sticker from the country of origin - in the form of characteristic black diamonds.
4. Spanish This type of tangerines can be considered the best. Their peel is very beautiful, smooth, thin, bright. Such tangerines are perfectly cleaned, long stored. But their main value in taste is that fruits from Spain strike with juicy and rich sweetness of citrus. Spanish tangerines have two drawbacks - they cost more than others, and they are rarely on the market. If you met on the counter tangerines from Spain - be sure to enjoy their juicy taste.
5. Israeli tangerines. This type of fruit is difficult to personalize with the new year, as these citrus fruits ripen just after the New Year, closer to the middle and end of winter. Israeli tangerines have a thin and smooth skin that is perfectly cleaned. But ideal fruits are difficult to call - they are very often dryish.

In addition, on the shelves of modern stores you can find many hybrid varieties - Clementine, a hybrid of mandarin and grapefruit, tanzhelo, mineola, etc. But for a man of the old school, nothing can replace classical tangerines with a taste that has been familiar from childhood. Unfortunately, sellers do not always honestly answer the question about the origin of the fruit on the counter, the exporting country is hiding, especially if it is not a popular producer. Sellers easily give out all varieties of mandarins for Abkhaz or Spanish. Therefore, it is very important to be able to choose the juicy and sweet fruits of orange citrus.

How to choose delicious tangerines?

If you have the honor to buy one of the most important symbols of the holiday, be sure to approach the assignment responsibly.

1. A good, ripe and tasty mandarin should be quite firm and strong.
2. Press down on the mandarin - if the juice flows from it, most likely, the fruit has already begun to rot.
3. The skin of ripe citrus is peeled off much easier than that of an unripe fetus.
4. Try not to buy tangerines with crumpled or soft sides - such a fruit was either improperly transported, or it began to rot. This also happens if the tangerines were frozen and thawed several times along the way.
5. But the little gray specks and cobwebs - this is normal. Sometimes this indicates a natural ripening of the fetus.
6. Try not to buy tangerines with a characteristic gray patina. Even if such a fruit is wiped away, the greyness will remain in hard-to-reach places - folds of pores. These are traces of gas used to process tangerines so that they are stored for a long time and were delivered in a good presentation.
7. It is believed that small tangerines are sweeter and have fewer seeds. But large and flattened fruits are often acidic.
8. Lightly push the fruit. Sweet mandarin will be hard, but soft citrus will be watery and sour.But remember that an excessively hard fruit is indicative of immaturity, it is definitely not worth buying such mandarins.
9. A good, ripe citrus has a thin skin that is well separated from the pulp. Slide the peel - they are lightly crushed. But do not confuse this with the excessive softness of the rotten fruit.
10. Smell the citrus - a good tangerine has a characteristic sweet aroma, no fungal or moldy smell.

As soon as you select suitable tangerines, do not rush to buy them. First buy one medium-sized mandarin, open it and taste it. If the fruit was sweet - feel free to make a purchase. But remember that you need to choose yourself, the seller can carefully change the citrus and you come across a tangerine from another batch, and you buy the sour and full of seedless fruit. It is sad to realize this, but deception in the markets often happens. When eating tangerines, try not to clear the flesh from the white veins completely - they contain a lot of useful substances that will help your body survive the winter.

Teach your child to wash mandarin from an early age before he is going to eat it.On the peel, very often chemicals remain - ethylene or fungicides that protect the fruit from pests, fungus and rot. Even if the child will peel the skin, some of the toxic substances will remain on the hands and get into the food along with the pulp. Be careful and eat tangerines correctly!

Video: how to choose safe and tasty tangerines