Categories 
Taste 1,000 Fruits: No. 71-73
Winter citrus! These are Mandarinquats, tiny Kishu Mandarins, and a Fremont Mandarin.
Kishu Mandarins are so wee that the segments are about half the size of a quarter.
They’re very sweet, with barely enough tang to feel like you’re actually eating citrus.
Fremont Mandarins tasted similar to the Kishus, but larger, with a brighter peel that would make lovely zest. Also, they have seeds.
I was most excited about the Mandarinquats, which are a Mandarin-Kumquat hybrid. They’re supposed to be similar to kumquats, which have a super sweet peel and tart fruit. Kumquats are about the size of grapes, so you just pop them in your mouth whole, and I love them.
I do not love Mandarinquats. They’re pretty, but the peel is nowhere near as sweet as a kumquat, which means you’re just eating an orange peel. But! If you’re a bartender who wants to make a kumquat drink, these would be less time consuming to juice I guess. Also pretty in floral arrangements?
Meh. Mandarinquat, you are no friend of mine.
- 7 comments
- Link to this post
Bon Appétit and Me
Bon Appétit just published an interview with me on their site, A Mighty Girl’s Quest to Taste 1,000 Kinds of Fruit. Isn’t that cool? I think so too. Go have a look.
Momversation: Mighty Lists
At last, a Momversation about Mighty Lists. Have you made yours yet? Please do, my friend. It’s good for your life.
Hooray for you! Your Mighty Lists, Part 3
If you’re working on a Mighty List, please send it my way: maggie at mightygirl dot com. If you haven’t started your list yet, here’s another set to inspire you (more ideas here and here). Cribbing encouraged:
Positively Anna is going to:
“Throw out any socks and underwear that I would be embarrassed about wearing if I got hit by a car and had to go to the hospital.”
Robyn of A Devine Life is going to:
“Donate 10,000 hand-knit items to charities.”
Anna Bell of Wanty is going to:
“Sew a dress that I am really proud to wear.”
Jodi Michelle of I Tell Stories is going to:
“Take a month long road trip with no destination.”
Tell A Girl is going to:
“Go to disco in Ibiza.”
Aisha of Slices of My Life is going to:
“Learn to play a song on my guitar.”
Thrifty Chick is going to:
“Pick my own flowers for my table.”
Kelli of Working Title is going to:
“See Frank Lloyd Wright’s home(s).”
Sara of I Like to Cook is going to:
“Place flowers at the memorial statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn in Austin, Texas.”
Nadarine is going to:
“Attend a real masquerade.”
Grania of Black Oak’s Daughter is going to:
“Oktoberfest, in Munich”
Amber of The Amber Show is going to:
“Gallop a horse.”
Jen of Feast of Life is going to:
“Fly to Paris for my birthday.”
Jennifer of The Good Life with Jen is going to:
“Get to the top of a lighthouse.”
Emily Grace of LIFE: The Journey, Not The Destination is going to:
“Be brave and eat French food without wondering what part of the animal it is.”
MeL of Stay at Aum Mom is going to:
“Go to an old-fashioned clambake on the beach.”
Liza of Crackle_Loud is going to:
“Buy a sundress.”
Laura is going to:
“Stand in the middle of the marketplace in Marrakesh.”
Vanessa of Yes It Is Necessary is going to:
“Restore my great-grandfathers 1959 Chevy Biscayne.”
Widdershins is going to:
“See Ayers Rock at sunrise.”
Nichole of Butterscotch Sunday is going to:
“Spend a night on a train.”
Jazzellis of Tea Cups and Superheros is going to:
“Grow a garden full of things we can eat.”
Lisa Ortale is going to:
“Own a piano and play it well.”
Nothing Witty is going to:
“Make her own vanilla extract!”
Splinters is going to:
“Make 5 different cheeses at home.”
Taste 1,000 Fruits: Purple Mangosteens
These are Mangosteens, and they are superb. I tried them for the first time in Bali around 2000, and they’re still my favorite fruit.
I got this stash in Chinatown, and at the time I was fairly sure they were illegal. They were tucked way, way, way in back and it was about $40 for a small bag. I’ve since discovered that they were cleared for U.S. import in 2007 and small quantities are grown in Puerto Rico, mostly for gourmet restaurants.
They’re delicious, of course, but also so pretty. The purple outer shell is like a thin layer of carrot over a wide hunk of red pith.
You crack one open by squeezing it in your palm, and then peel back the pith inside to reveal the fruit.
I know they look a little like giant maggots, but they taste like juicy, peach-perfumed pineapple candy. The flesh is actually a lot like a very ripe peach, but with a bit more toughness to the fibers.
My niece likes them too.
