Porridge, almonds, gingerbread dough and juicy, sweet tangerines. My mouth is watering just thinking about all the delights we feast on in December. But wait a minute, are we actually eating tangerines? Or is it possibly… clementines?
When did clementines come to Norway?
According to the Fruit and Vegetable Information Office, the orange fruit we can’t get enough of at this time of year is actually called clementine. Not mandarin.
– Today, it is mostly clementines, and not mandarins, that are eaten. The mandarins, which were well known in the 60s, were more acidic and with many stones. The clementine is mostly stone-free, and it has a thicker skin that is loose.
– We lived on food stamps
The clementine first saw the light of day in 1902, when the priest Pierre Clément from Algeria succeeded in crossing the mandarin with a citrus fruit called pomeran. It is still uncertain what the reason for the crossing was, but it could be that the priest had become tired of the stones in the tangerine.
Norway has imported clementines since 1963, and since then there have not been as many mandarins on the shop shelves – but they can still be found out of season.
KLEMENTINER: Expert tells KK that we have hardly seen a tangerine on store shelves since 1963. Photo: Shutterstock / images72 Show more
High season for clementines
The peak season for the fruit is now in autumn/early winter after it has ripened in the sun in Spain.
GAVETRICKS: It is typical that you have a little too little paper for a gift you have to wrap. Video: Dennis Appelong Hagbru / Håvard Bjørnerem. view more
– No matter what we choose to call the fruit, it tastes lovely and it can be enjoyed in large quantities now in the run-up to Christmas when it tastes very best, says the Fruit and Vegetable Information Office.
Vitamin C in clementines
And you can enjoy the sweet fruit with a clear conscience – because clementines are not only sweet and fresh, they are also healthy.
The clementine has a high content of vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system – it also comes in handy at this time of year when autumn colds abound. No wonder it’s one of our favorite fruits now.
2023-12-03 12:15:33
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