How to choose tangerines: useful tips

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

Producing country

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

1. Abkhazian. Even today, after many years, these tangerines are considered the most popular and delicious. In appearance, the Abkhaz mandarins are not very attractive - the shape is slightly flattened, the skin is with grayish spots, faded. The peel perfectly departs from the main pulp, literally rests on the "pipettes" above and below the fruit, there is a void between the peel and pulp. But just such tangerines are considered the most delicious and healthy. Abkhazian tangerines are very sweet, they have few seeds or not at all. In addition, the lack of long-term transportation allows manufacturers to not process the goods with various gases and chemicals, such a fruit is considered more environmentally friendly.
2. Turkish Tangerines from Turkey appeared on the Russian market relatively recently. They delight the buyer with their glossy appearance and attractive price. However, mandarins are often nothing more. Very often they come across acidic, with a large number of seeds. The skin of Turkish mandarins is difficult to separate from the pulp, the peel has a yellowish or greenish color.
3. Moroccan. Many people will like this type of tangerines - these citruses have a rather sweet taste and a characteristic pronounced aroma. Tangerines from Morocco are very bright, orange - almost red, they are easy to clean, rarely come across acidic, almost do not contain seeds. The appearance of Moroccan tangerines is smooth, shiny, dense. In the middle of the fetus, you can see a small dent. Real Moroccan tangerines are decorated with a sticker from the country of origin - in the form of characteristic black rhombuses.
4. Spanish This type of tangerines can be considered the best. Their peel is very beautiful, smooth, thin, bright. Such tangerines are perfectly cleaned and stored for a long time. But their main taste value is that the fruits from Spain impress with the juicy and rich sweetness of citrus. Spanish tangerines have two drawbacks - they are more expensive than others, and are very rare on the market. If you met tangerines from Spain on the counter, be sure to enjoy their juicy taste.
5. Israeli tangerines. This type of fruit is difficult to personify the New Year, because these citrus fruits ripen just after the New Year, closer to the middle and end of winter. Israeli tangerines have a thin and smooth peel that is easy to clean. But it’s difficult to call the fruits ideal — they are often rather dry.

In addition, on the shelves of modern stores you can find many hybrid varieties - Clementine, a hybrid of mandarin and grapefruit, tangelo, mineral, etc. But for a man of an old school, nothing can replace the classic tangerines with a taste that is familiar from childhood. Unfortunately, sellers do not always honestly answer the question about the origin of the fruits on the counter, the exporting country is hiding, especially if it is not a popular producer. Sellers easily give all kinds of tangerines as Abkhazian or Spanish. Therefore, it is very important to be able to independently 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 task responsibly.

1. A good, ripe and tasty mandarin must be firm and strong enough.
2. Press on the tangerine - if juice flows out of it, most likely the fetus has already begun to rot.
3. The skin of ripe citrus peels off much more easily than that of an unripe fruit.
4. Try not to buy tangerines with crumpled or soft sides - such a fruit was either transported incorrectly or it began to rot. This also happens if tangerines were frozen and thawed several times along the way.
5. But the gray minor spots and the cobweb - this is normal. Sometimes this indicates a natural ripening of the fetus.
6. Try not to buy tangerines with a characteristic gray coating. Even if you wipe such a fruit, the grayness will remain in inaccessible places - pore folds. These are traces of gas used to process tangerines so that they are stored for a long time and delivered in good commercial condition.
7. Small tangerines are believed to be sweeter and have fewer seeds. But large and flattened fruits are often acidic.
8. Press lightly on the fetus. Sweet tangerine will be hard, but soft citrus will turn out to be watery and sour. But remember that an overly rigid fruit indicates immaturity; you definitely should not buy such tangerines.
9. A good, ripe citrus has a thin peel, which is well away from the pulp. Slide the peel - they are crushed slightly. But do not confuse this with the excess softness of rotten fruit.
10. Smell citrus - good mandarin has a characteristic sweet aroma, no fungal or moldy odor.

Once you select the appropriate tangerines, take your time to buy them. First buy one medium-sized tangerine, open it and taste it. If the fruit turned out to be 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 a different batch, and you buy sour and full-seed fruits. It is sad to realize this, but deception in the markets often happens. When eating mandarins, try not to completely clear the pulp from the white veins - 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 intends to eat it. On the peel, chemicals often remain - ethylene or fungicides, which protect the fruits from pests, fungus and rot. Even if the child peels, some of the toxic substances will remain on the hands and enter the food along with the pulp. Be careful and eat tangerines correctly!

Video: how to choose safe and tasty tangerines