http://seattlest.com/2010/01/11/oh_my_darling_clementine.php

Oh My Darling Clementine


"Clementine-peeler droid" courtesy of Stéfan

As children, we learned that mandarin oranges and Jell-O are a classic combination, like apples and pork, lamb and mint, and cookies and cream. Growing up, we were only exposed to mandarin oranges through the perfectly shaped crescents floating in a can of syrup, which were to become a component of fruit salads suspended in a gelatin mold. While canned mandarins still have nostalgic value, clementine oranges, a member of the mandarin orange family, have since become our favorite fruit to eat out-of-hand.

Citrus reticulata, the Latin name for clementines, refers to the netted, fibrous pith between the peel and the fruit. This trait, described as "zipper skin", is the reason clementines have a loose, thin peel and segments that are easily separated from one another. It's that easy access to the juicy, tangy, sweet flavored flesh within that makes clementines so appealing.

Clementines are an early season mandarin, ripening in November. The sugar level of clementines depends on the climate and their maturity at harvest. The trees tolerate cold weather and produce good crops in the relatively cool climates of northern Florida, the Gulf Coast, Texas, and the California Sierra foothills.

The origin of clementines is unclear. They may be a natural hybrid of a mandarin and a sweet orange, discovered at the beginning of the 20th century by Father Clement Rodier, a French missionary living in Algeria, or they may have been brought to Algeria from China. Before modern fruit breeders started working on them, clementines were always small, about two inches in diameter, and somewhat seedy. The newest members of the family are larger and often seedless.

Father Clement was in charge of the Misserghin Orphanage gardens in Algeria and discovered a different type of tree in a plantation of mandarins. This tree, planted with the others, went unnoticed until the children started to enjoy its fruits, which ripened well before those of the common mandarin. Upon tasting it himself, Father Clement had realized the discovery and gave his name to this new fruit, hence the word clementine.

With winter in on our doorsteps, the cold and flu seasons are upon us. Clementines are a good source of Vitamin C, which has been shown to be effective in fending off colds.Whether eaten as is, candied, or tossed in a salad, clementines evoke a sense of freshness and seasonality.user-pic

By ryan in Food on January 11, 2010 2:33 PM