Clementines

1. ↑ Wikipedia. – Clementine.
2. ↑ Yandex.Zen. – Clementines and tangerines – what is the difference and how to distinguish them?
3. ↑ My healthy diet. – Calorie “Clementine”. Chemical composition and nutritional value.
4. ↑↑ xCook.info (culinary encyclopedia). – Clementine (fruit) – the beneficial properties of this variety of mandarin.
5. ↑↑ Food+. – Clementines.

Probably, many of us bought and enjoyed juicy citrus fruits, not even realizing that these are clementines. This is because they are very reminiscent of their closest relatives – tangerines. But still, since botanists have singled them out as a separate variety of citrus fruits, it means that there are differences between both fruits. If you learn a little more about these fruits with the strange name of clementine, then it will not be difficult at all to distinguish them from other members of the Rut family.

General characteristics

Clementines are citrus fruits, that is, the fruits of trees belonging to the Rutaceae family. But there are not so many “pure” representatives in this group – hybrids predominate in it. For example, tangelo is a hybrid of tangerine and grapefruit, tangor is the “child” of tangerine and orange, while rangpur appeared as a result of crossing lemon and tangerine. Clementines are also hybrids. They are a cross between a mandarin and a king orange (better known as a Sicilian orange).

But why still clementines? This amazing name was given to the fruit on behalf of the French missionary monk brother Clement (in the world – Vincent Rodier). They say the monk was a talented breeder. And at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, during his Algerian mission, he was able to get the first crop of hybrid fruits that combined the best qualities of the Sicilian orange and mandarin. The popularity of new fruits has grown very quickly. Many liked the “improved” tangerines – sweeter, without seeds, which are also very easy to clean. A century later, clementines not only spread to different parts of the world, but new varieties of this fruit appeared. Today, at least three varieties of clementines are known: Montreal, Spanish and Corsican. ^[1].

They differ slightly in size, taste and number of seeds. Corsican – these are the same seedless clementines, while in the other two varieties there are from 2 to 12 seeds. Clementine fruits are usually sold with green leaves, which is proof of the freshness of the fruit. The season for this citrus is November-February.

Clementines are heat-loving plants, therefore they are not found outside regions with a hot climate. Mass cultivation of this crop began about half a century ago. Today, these citrus fruits are cultivated in South and North Africa, in the Mediterranean countries, Chile, as well as in California and Florida (USA).

How clementines differ from mandarins

Few can tell the difference between clementines and tangerines at a glance. But differences in appearance and taste still exist. If we compare both fruits, then tangerines in the place where the flower developed are slightly flattened, while clementines are round and more like small oranges. Citruses also differ in the structure of the skin: in tangerines it is softer and looser, while clementines are denser, their skin is thinner and better adheres to the pulp. In addition, large pores are clearly visible on the tangerine peel, which cannot be said about clementines. And hybrids are a little brighter than their relatives. ^[2].

Nutritional characteristics and chemical composition

Many people like clementines due to their juicy refreshing taste. But researchers who have studied the chemical composition of fruits say that taste is far from the only and not the biggest advantage of these fruits. They contain a huge amount of useful substances. These sweet citrus fruits can be considered a good source of calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. They contain large amounts of vitamin C and folic acid. Clementines are a storehouse of such useful components as flavonoids and limonoids.

The table shows the nutrient content per 100 g of product ^[3].

The benefits and harm of clementines

Although these fruits are one of the youngest in the citrus family, they have already become the object of many scientific experiments and scrupulous studies. Probably, one does not need to be a researcher to guess that there is actually a lot of usefulness in these fruits. After all, clementine is the “child” of extremely healthy tangerines and oranges, which means that it also has, if not all, then most of the useful properties of its “parents”. But it is one thing to guess about the benefits of a product, and another thing to know for sure how and for whom it is useful.

The list of healing properties of clementines looks something like this ^[4]:

• improve digestion;
• strengthen the cardiovascular system;
• increase immunity;
• normalize metabolic processes;
• positively affect the state of the nervous system;
• possess anti-cancer properties;
• maintain visual acuity;
• have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the brain.

But this is not all the benefits of this variety of citrus fruits. Clementine juice can affect the contraction of the diaphragm, thereby relieving hiccups, and is also useful for overweight people, as it contains substances that promote the breakdown of fats. In addition, these fruits prevent the accumulation of excess fat cells in the body.

Don’t overlook the fact that clementines are high in antioxidants. Bad ecology and regular stress negatively affect the general condition of the body. Hence the early aging, frequent illnesses, including very serious ones. Sunny fruits will help protect yourself from all this. The use of clementine helps to increase the body’s resistance to free radicals that destroy the body at the cellular level. By the way, it is thanks to antioxidants that juicy clementines are useful for people with diseases of the cardiovascular system. In addition, these fruits contain a lot of fiber, and it is known to cleanse the blood vessels of excess cholesterol, thereby reducing the risk of atherosclerosis and hypertension.

The essential oils contained in this sweet citrus are incredibly beneficial for the nervous system. People prone to depression, mood swings, insomnia and nervousness should definitely pay attention to these mandarin relatives.

Eating clementines, which contain calcium and phosphorus, helps maintain bone strength. In addition, these minerals are essential for proper muscle contraction.

Fruit for beauty

These bright fruits must be on the menu of everyone who wants to slow down the aging of the body. Antioxidants in clementines inhibit the appearance of gray hair and wrinkles, and B vitamins improve the structure of hair, nails and skin.

In addition, citrus essential oil can be useful for various skin diseases. For example, to remove warts, acne, seborrhea, scars and stretch marks, it is enough to regularly rub the base oil with the addition of a few drops of clementine essential oil. The same product also has anti-cellulite properties, so it is also regularly included in mixtures for massages against “orange peel” ^[5].

What is dangerous Clementine

Any product can sometimes be harmful, if not dangerous. Clementines, like lemons, grapefruits, oranges, pomelo and other citrus fruits, should not be included in the diet of people who are allergic to this group of fruits. It would be more correct to refuse to use citrus for people with high acidity of the stomach, gastritis, and ulcers. Enteritis, colitis, nephritis and liver disease are also reasons to exclude these fruits from your diet. ^[5].

It is recommended to use clementine essential oil with extreme caution, as it can cause allergies, and applied to the skin immediately before sun exposure can cause sunburn. This oil is strictly prohibited for use by women in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Use in cooking

It is best to eat fresh clementines, but this does not mean that this fruit is not suitable for creating original and tasty delicacies. Ripe fruits are used to make jams, syrups, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. As an aromatic component, they are added to liqueurs, brandies, pastries, and in British cuisine, meat sauces are prepared from clementines. By the way, nutritionists call the clementine-meat combination very useful, since fruit juice improves the digestion of the protein product. ^[4].

Desserts made from these citrus fruits are distinguished by their incredible lightness and delicate sweet and sour taste. Pieces of fruit well complement ice cream, various cakes, especially biscuit pastries. If peeled citrus slices are covered with sugar, you can get a delicious syrup or prepare candied fruits, which then become a flavorful addition to alcoholic cocktails.

Sometimes you can hear that clementine is the perfect citrus. Indeed, it contains all the useful substances characteristic of most citrus fruits. And clementine is very tasty, juicy, moderately sweet, albeit with a slight sourness. It contains almost no seeds and is very easy to clean. Believe me, it is simply impossible to remain indifferent to such a fruit.

Sources of