Instructions: In the dark ages citrus fruits were thought to be harmful if consumed, although the Mesopotamians loved them for their fragrance and beauty, and the Egyptians employed them in their embalming rituals. Most cultures used citrus fruits in some form even before they were accepted as a food: aphrodisiacs, a prevention or cure for fever, colds and scurvy; an antidote for poison, a deterrent for bugs.

Mandarin oranges, or tangerines, in their many forms are, perhaps, the most loved of all the citrus fruits. They are the perfect size for a single snack, their unique flavor and low acid content make them a welcome change from the ubiquitous orange and their short season of availability makes them seem even more precious.

Tangerine Tips:
When purchasing, choose tangerines that are plump and heavy for their size and soft to the touch, but firm underneath the skin. The loose-skinned varieties like Satsuma appear puffy.

Store tangerines at room temperature for a week, or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks
When using the zest or peel of any citrus fruit, it is preferable to buy organic fruit as it has not been sprayed.

Tangerine zest is almost as useful and prized as the flesh. In Chinese cookery it is an important seasoning that is sold as dried tangerine peel. It is soaked and used, sparingly, to flavor meat, poultry, soup and sweet dishes. The older skins are very expensive, some are said to be more than one hundred years old and are highly prized.

There are many everyday applications for the use of tangerine zest. It can be used in place of lemon zest to add a zing with less acid than lemon and a tangerine flavor for a sweeter taste.

Some tangerines dont zest as well as others, due to bumpy loose skin, or to thin skin that turns to mush when zested. Tangerine skin does not have a thick white layer (pith) between the skin and flesh. Thus, the entire skin can be used rather than cutting away the colored part and avoiding the pith, as is necessary with other citrus fruits. The skin, while tangy, is sweet and flavorful and tastes much like the tangerine flesh. It is good fresh, dried and frozen.

Tangerine skin may also be grated on any type of grater with tiny holes.

Grating produces a more compact, moist zest, one teaspoon of which is equivalent to one tablespoon of zest produced from a zester.

Tangerine zest may be slightly dried, then frozen for use as needed.

1 average tangerine equals about 1/4 cup juice-more or less, depending upon size, type and juiciness of tangerine.

Tangerines lose some of their flavor when heated or cooked. If substituting tangerines for oranges in a recipe, use a bit extra tangerine or tangerine juice.

Add tangerine zest and minced garlic to soft butter to make a compound butter for vegetables, bread, seafood or poultry.

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