by Madeleine Greey
(Previously published in The Toronto Star in 1999)
Whenever I start to think about Christmas, the first stocking stuffer that comes to mind is always a mandarin. Those easy-to-peel members of the citrus family were an exciting part of Christmas mornings for me. Santa stored them in the toe, and the rich, spicy smell of oranges wafted through my nose as I fished out my prized, deep-orange mandarin.
However, that’s my childhood, and definitely not the sentiment shared by my Pokemon-crazed son. He’d rather find a Pickachu or Bulbasaur in his stocking than a Fina clementine, Satsuma mandarin or Fairchild tangerine.
But wait a minute. If a six-year-old boy can memorize more than 100 Pokemon names, surely he can decipher his way through the complicated, yet delicious world of mandarins. So this is what I told him:
“Son, let me tell you about those little oranges that are called mandarins and are members of the citrus family. Technically speaking, they aren’t oranges. That’s the first rule, okay?
(Small Pokemon yawn)
“Secondly, the mandarin family includes two “big guys”: clementines and tangerines. It’s so neat… there are lots of different types of clementines and tangerines, such as the Marisol clementine or the Dancy tangerine.
(Bigger yawn.)
“Problem is, honey, everyone uses the words “mandarin” and “tangerine” interchangeably, which they shouldn’t, but heck, they just don’t have rules in the adult world like they do in your Game Boy, okay?“
And, um, there’s another little hitch, honey… besides clementines and tangerines, there are other mandarin family members called tangelos and tangors. Tangelos are a mandarin-grapefruit hybrid. Most people recognize the Minneola tangelo because it has a knob-like formation at the stem end. Tangors are a cross between an orange and a tangerine. The Temple is the most famous, but uh, there’s another little problem. Most people call it a Temple orange, even though it’s not an orange! It’s a mandarin, get it?” At this point, my little Pokemon ran screaming from the room.
Granted, most parents just let nature take its course. They simply buy the first crate of clementines they can find this time of year and watch those little mandarins evaporate over night.According to clementine importer Max Rusque of Frusol International Inc., those crates are actually referred to (in the trade) as gift boxes and are a standard 2.3 kg /5 lb in weight. The boxes are classified according to the number of clementines packed inside a box. To make mandarin matters increasingly confusing, calibre 1 clementines can contain 20, 24 or 28 clementines. Calibre 4 can contain 40 or 44 pieces. Rusque says that most consumers in Ontario like a size 24 or 28, but he cautions that they may be missing out on taste.
“The smaller the clementine, the better the taste,” says Rusque.
“For me, the best size is 36. You’ll get a higher concentration of sugars and flavour in a small clementine.” Frank Marcoccia, Director of Produce at Dominion Food Stores agrees. “The smaller the fruit, the more intense the flavour. I can sit down and eat six of them in one sitting, no problem,” he laughs. “The value of a clementine is hard to beat,” Marcoccia says, referring to the average retail $4.99 price tag on a 2.3 kg/ 5 lb gift box. “Clementines are a big item for us this time of year. Our customers eagerly await them.”
Marcoccia remembers stocking nine pound bags of tissue-wrapped mandarins from Japan every Christmas in the mid-80s. But nowadays clementines imported from Spain and Morocco have replaced the demand in Toronto for Oriental mandarins, which are still widely popular in Western Canada. Spain is the top exporter of clementines, shipping out 1.2 million tons a year, compared to its rival Morocco, which exports 200,000 tons. Spain is blessed with a longer clementine growing season than Morocco. It usually supplies the first clementines to Toronto at the end of October and winds the season to a close at the end of January or early February. Moroccan imports arrive somewhere in the middle, the dates varying every year due to weather conditions.Sadly, most clementines come to Toronto by boat, a lengthy, 10-12- day affair.
Throughout the season, we’ll see up to five different varieties of clementines in Toronto, which vary in skin colour and texture. Rusque claims that Spain’s best variety is Clemenules. Watch out for its higher- than-average sugar content, intense orange colour and firm, beautiful skin. It’s in stores now until the end of January. While growers have come up with a wide variety of delicious clementines, they still haven’t found a solution for a tiny flaw: Seeds.Rusque describes clementines as “practically seedless” while Marcoccia dubs them “virtually seedless”.
In other words, you’re bound to find the odd seed. But that’s a better batting average than the one held by tangerines, which have a distinctly seedy reputation.Of course, nothing is straight-forward when it comes to mandarins where there’s always an exception to the rule. Growers in Japan, and consequently California and Arizona have come up with a seedless tangerine called the Satsuma. It’s in stores now, has a pebbly textured skin, a light orange colour, mild flavour and according to Sunkist “virtually no seeds”. We know what that means. Taste it for yourself. Other popular tangerines to watch out for include Fairchild, Dancy and Honey.
Chef-owner Michael Bonacini says that at this time of year, clementines and tangerines play a prominent role in both cuisine and interior design at his three Toronto restuarants -Jump, Canoe and Auberge du Pommier.
“The week before Christmas, we place a clementine at every setting in our restaurants. Some customers eat it then and there and others toss it into a purse or briefcase for later,” he says. Whether it’s substituting tangerines for oranges in duck a l’orange, squeezing it into fresh juice, or making it part of a vinaigrette, mandarins play an important culinary role for Bonacini.
Back at home, Bonacini’s three and a half year old son Oscar is an avid clementine consumer. Bonacini himself has fond childhood memories of clementines when growing up in Wales. “When I was 16, I used to work in a fruit store and I’d bring home a box of clementines at the end of the day at Christmastime. Rather than put them in the scullery where all my siblings could find them, I hid those clementines in my bedroom so I could enjoy them, all to myself,” he admits. If he’s a wise father, he’ll keep the ins and outs of the mandarin family all to himself, too, and spare young Oscar the torture.
How to choose ‘em: Mandarins should feel heavy in the hand. The tighter the skin, the better. Press the skin- it should be firm, with a little give. Give it a sniff to detect a rich, mandarin aroma.
How to store ‘em:Store mandarins in the refrigerator for best results. However, they taste best at room temperature. Keep a few in the fruit bowl.
Rapini Sautéed with Tangerines
Serves 4
This recipe from my cookbook Get Fresh! (Macmillan) tempers the bitter bite of rapini with the sweet addition of tangerines. To round out the flavour, I’ve added garlic and anchovies. Due to the latter ingredient, think twice before you add any salt to this. Tangerines, tangors, tangelos or clementines can all be used.
1 big bunch rapini
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 anchovy fillets, minced
2 tangerines peeled and sectioned
* Wash the rapini well and trim the ends. Cut into pieces approximately 2 inches (5 cm) long. Steam for 3 to 5 minutes at a rapid boil until tender. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.
* Heat a sauté pan to medium-high, add oil and garlic, and sauté until the garlic turns golden. Add the anchovies. Sauté, mixing garlic and anchovies together. Add drained rapini and tangerine sections, sauté until heated through. Serve.
Madeleine Greey is a Toronto food writer and author of Get Fresh! (Macmillan, 1999).