Mandarin oranges are small citrus fruits that are usually eaten raw but are sometimes cooked into desserts or served in salads. They also come canned in syrup. Mandarin orange sections are orange, and the peels can be orange, green or red in color. They are generally considered a healthy food that can be eaten as a snack or part of a larger meal. Their peels tend to be thin and they are easily segmented into small sections, which make them easy to eat.
Names
Mandarin oranges are known by a few different names, making their identification confusing at times, and they come in many different varieties that sometimes have overlapping names. All varieties are sometimes called tangerines by the general public, but in the fruit growing industry this name only applies to a few specific red-skinned varieties. The green-skinned varieties of mandarin oranges, which originated in Japan, are known as satsumas or Emerald tangerines. Other cultivars are classified as Mediterranean mandarins, King mandarins and common mandarins. Biologically, they all belong to the species Citrus reticulata.
History
Mandarin oranges originated in Southeast Asia and the Philippines, but are now harvested all over the world. In 1805, mandarin oranges were brought to Europe. In the 1840s, they arrived in America when mandarin orange trees were planted at the Italian consulate in New Orleans. The variety planted there spread to Florida and California. In the late 1800s, other varieties arrived from the Orient to become crops in the Gulf coast states, California and Florida. The fruits were subsequently exported to Mexico, where they are also grown commercially.
Perishability
Mandarin oranges are more perishable than their sweet orange counterparts. At room temperature, they are good for 10 to 14 days, depending on the specific variety and whether the fruit has been waxed or treated with a fungicide. In the refrigerator, mandarin oranges may be good for up to 31 days.
Calories and Servings
A single serving of mandarin oranges is one medium orange, which weighs about 88 grams. A medium orange contains 47 calories and can be counted as one of the five daily fruit servings everyone should eat as recommended by the USDA.
Nutritional Profile
One medium mandarin orange has 12 grams of carbohydrates, of which two are fiber. Mandarin oranges have no saturated fat or cholesterol and are extremely low in sodium. They contain many healthy nutrients, including 39% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C and 12% of the daily recommendation for vitamin A. Other nutrients in mandarin oranges are calcium, iron, folate, choline, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and manganese. They also contain the beneficial omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
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