Sunburst flavor grown in your backyard
There’s a new, juicy, vitamin-C bomb hitting the Breadfast pantry, and it’s called the Murcott Mandarin. Otherwise known as the Honey Tangerine, Murcotts are grown around the world – including Egypt (where our Murcotts are sourced.) These bad boys are extremely popular in the US and European markets because they are the perfect hybrid of a sweet orange and mandarin. I mean, pack the zesty sweet flavor of an orange, with that easy peel characteristic of a mandarin. Bite into one of these sunshine citruses and you’ll get a juicy burst of that intense sweetness mixed with tartness. What’s not to love?
Murcott Mandarins are a late season mandarin and are related to oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit. Compared to other mandarin oranges, they are more squat with a flat oval shape, and have a vivid orange color to them. Your perfect Murcott Mandarin will have a smooth, fragrant peel with no spotting, shriveling, or air between the rind and the flesh. As with most fruits, the sweetest and juiciest Murcotts will feel heavy in your hand. They will keep for a day or two at room temperature, or 1-2 weeks in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer.
Your immune system and taste buds will thank you
And if their sunburst flavor isn’t enough to make your mouth water, consider the many health benefits these fruits contain. Not only is the Murcott Mandarin packed with the immune system boosters vitamin C and A, but it is also a good source of fiber. Each mouthful is also filled with minerals like potassium, calcium, antioxidant beta-carotene, flavonoids, hesperetin, and naringenin. Time to cancel your check up with the doctor (just kidding, please don’t.)
The obvious way to eat a Murcott Mandarin is to pick it up, peel, and eat. But there are also infinite ways to use your Murcott in creative ways. Murcotts are extremely popular citruses for juicing – you can mix their juice with other citruses, or freeze the juice to make sorbets and granitas. There are plenty of recipes online for Murcotts jams, curds, tarts, and cakes; and seedless Murcotts also bring a fresh pop of sweetness and color into your salads. Toss them with duck, chicken, avocados, goat cheese, honey, ginger, spinach, arugula, cranberries, raisins, walnuts, almonds – the possibilities are endless!
Buy and eat local
Even though Egypt has so many Murcott farms, most of our mandarins are exported to European and other markets abroad. And the reason is simple: demand is greater there. It’s time for us to give our local farms a little more love. In fact, right after I finish this post, I’m hopping over Breadfast to order some of our delicious Egyptian-grown Murcott Mandarins.
