We have carried a variety of citrus zests over the years - lemon, lime, orange, and earlier this year we added grapefruit. When one of our craft distillers was looking for Dried Tangerine Peel we knew that it was pretty much a no brainer that we had to add this one to our growing lineup. Most consumers are incorrectly under the impression that an orange is just an orange. Citrus growers cringe at this misinterpretation, as there are numerous varieties in this class of fruit available. Tangerines are less rounded and smaller than common oranges, while the taste is also sweeter and a bit more potent. Tangerines are a type of citrus plant whose genus of flowering plants is in the family Rutaceae (orange family). Technically, however, the tangerine is actually a subgroup of the larger mandarin group, Citrus reticulara. The term tangerine and mandarin are often used interchangeably. This specific reddish-orange mandarin cultivar has long been marketed as tangerines, and 'tangerine' is a widely accepted culinary term, but is not an actual botanical classification. Use of the term tangerine is not consistent, as some pale yellowish orange fruits are also called tangerines. Outside of this country, the term is seldom used. The best way to think of a tangerine is to understand that it is a varietal of the mandarin, much in the same way gala and Macintosh are apple varietals.An excellent time saver when it comes to baking, brewing or distilling, our Dried Tangerine Peel (when properly rehydrated) is just as flavorful as freshly grated tangerines. Grown in the US, our granulated Tangerine Zest is made from the very thin, outer peel, and not the pith (the white part of the rind). The tangerine peel is then minced and dried which intensifies all of the fruit's fragrant essential oils. History and CultivationThere are 14 different varieties and hybrids of Mandarin oranges, and they are believed to have descended from wild oranges that grew in northeast India as long as 3,000 years ago. These early Mandarin oranges were carried by travelers to China, and from there eventually made their way into Europe, North Africa and Australia. Although citrus has been widely cultivated in Europe and the Mediterranean since Greek and Roman times, mandarins didn't make their way into Europe until much later. In 1805, the first of these easy to peel oranges were introduced to England from China. Mandarins were imported from China into the Mediterranean region through the port of Tangiers, Morocco and were given the nickname "tangerine". By the 1820s, they even made their way to Australia, where they became an almost instant hit. It was the Brits who coined the term 'mandarin'. At the time of its English introduction, this citrus fruit was popular with the Chinese diplomats living in England, and Mandarin was the language they spoke. These diplomats often wore deep orange robes that closely resembled the color of the fruit and the name stuck. During the 1840s, the Italian consulate in New Orleans had the first Mandarin oranges imported to the US on ships from their home country. From New Orleans, the mandarin spread and was eventually cultivated in both Florida and California.The Mandarin tree is among the most frost- and drought-tolerant of citrus trees (surviving at temperatures as low as 16Ô), however young developing fruits can be destroyed by the cold (when the temperatures drops below 28Ô for as little as four hours). Mandarin trees are typically smaller than sweet orange trees, with white aromatic flowers that may grow individually or in clusters of 2 or 3. These flowers will develop into small fruits roughly 3" in diameter that ripen to light or deep orange. Mandarin orange seedlings are generally produced by budding or grafting to an appropriate rootstock, as seeds will either not produce any fruit or will not produce true to type fruit. Grafting is the process by which a scion from plant is joined to the rootstock of another to produce a new tree.The scion is the part of the grafted plant that will produce all of the grafted plant's leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits. The scion is typically the top part of the grafted plant. If it is inserted lower down on the plant during the grafting process, everything below the scion is usually cut off in the spring. This forces all of the nutrients and water from the rootstock into the growing scion. Rootstocks commonly used for grafting and budding of mandarin trees include sour orange and rough lemon.The 5 countries that grow the most mandarins are China, Spain, Turkey, Brazil and Egypt. Our Tangerine Peel come from tress cultivated in the US.When and Where to UseTangerine's sweetness infuses itself with equal sophistication into desserts and savory dishes. The appeal of orange peel is so universally accepted that you can find the use of fresh or dried peel called for in recipes from all over the world. The zest of tangerines and mandarins can be found in Iberian sweets, Middle Eastern couscous and Sichuan stir-fries.Tangerine Peel pairs well with ginger, cream, butter, rosemary, almonds and pine nuts. High quality Tangerine peel, along with orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit peel, are highly prized by brew masters when making summer ales and other types of beer. Tangerine peel can be used in Belgian wits as well as in some IPAs and Saisons. The dried zest retains much of the tangerine's flavor profile, which compliments beers hopped with a citrus character. Use our Dried Tangerine Peel to dust scallops, add to vinaigrette, homemade bread crumbs and crab cakes, or for bakers, to muffin or pound cake batter. We've even sprinkled some on the top of ice cream for a delightful unexpected treat. Where It's FromCultivated from Tangerines grown in the United States.Flavor ProfileOur Tangerine Peel is very aromatic and has a slightly sweet flavor.How to Store With a high oil content, we recommend that you store your Tangerine Zest in glass jars.Helpful HintsWhen using in its dehydrated form, use 1/3 of the amount of fresh tangerine peel that the recipe calls for.To rehydrate, add three parts water to one part peel and let stand for about 15 minutes. To get even more flavor during rehydration replace some (or most) of the water with 100% real tangerine juice. Let stand in liquid for about 15 minutes and then drain off excess liquid.
