But Mandarins actually comprise an entire family of small pumpkin-shaped oranges that includes the clementine, satsuma, and tangerine.
Easy Appeal
Mandarins like clementines, satsumas and tangerines are easy to slip out of their skins, which are thin and fit loosely around the fruit. Getting to the juicy, sweet fruit inside is like unwrapping a tiny gift--which is one reason Mandarins are so popular eaten out-of-hand as a quick, healthy snack.
Canned Sweet
Canned Mandarin oranges are excellent additions to cakes, fruit and green salads and stir fries. Leaving nothing to waste, the Mandarin's peel, meanwhile, gives off an essential oil that is used to flavor hard candies, carbonated drinks and liqueurs, ice cream, chewing gum, baked goods, and perfumes and colognes.
The Tangier Treat
Like other oranges of the Mandarin family, tangerines originated in Asia. Eventually migrating to northern Africa, they picked up the name "tangerine" after the Mediterranean port city, Tangier, Morocco. Today, tangerines are America's most popular Mandarin. They're at their delicious peak during the holiday season.