Tangerines are the most common type of Mandarin orange found in the United States. They are distinctive for their loose peel that is easy to tear of to get to the sweet fruit inside. They are smaller than oranges, but have an intense orange color, even more orange than an orange! They grow on a tree similar to an orange, under similar conditions, but the fruit is more suitable for eating out of hand, as it is smaller, easier to peel and usually sweeter than an eating orange.
Tangerine Varietals
Though once thought of as simply tangerines, the varietal names are become more renowned by consumers:
- Fairchild
- Dancy
- Pixie
- Clementine
- Honey or Murcott
- Sunburst
- Tangelo: cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit
- Minneola is a type of tangelo