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Are you familiar with these citrus varieties?
During month of April, markets will start filling with fresh and different varieties of citrus fruits. There are many varieties of citrus one can see that have similar and different health benefits.
Most citrus fruits are used for their vitamin C contents. Some have more bitter taste than others.
Morning breakfast without orange juice is not a complete breakfast for many. Drinking orange juice morning hours boosts energy and helps to go through a day.
Citrus fruits known to enhance metabolism, boosts immune system, fights common cold.
Citrus fruits had culinary values too – zest of lemon and orange peel are added in dessert and dishes.
Next few slides explain how citrus fruit varieties are different from each other and what benefits they offer for humans.
Featured image collage: From Hirt’s garden, www.forgottenpickles.com, pixabay.com, www.halegroves.com, Agrifarming.in, Producemarke
Finger lime:As the name suggests, finger limes are elongated Australian limes. It tastes like a lemon or lime.
It produces pungent oil in skin when squeezed. It tastes unique with grapefruit note. It is famous because of its unique look.
The juicy vesicles used for garnishing dishes looks like caviar and is called lime caviar. Fruits are slender about 3 inches long with thin skin.
Outer skin is purplish, greenish black to light green or rusty red. Fruit skin is dried and used as spice. The tangy flavor makes it perfect for pickles and marmalade.
Buddha’s hand:Have you ever seen branched lemon fruit? It is a wild look of lemon or you can say lemon gone wild!
Buddha’s hand is a unique fruit of citrus variety with sweet and lemon blossom aroma. It does not have juice or pulp. The pith inside is not bitter.
The main use of using this fruit is as lemon zest or used as whole. It is used in candy, zest with sugar and salt, alcohol drinks , raw used while steaming tofu and used as ornamental.
Grapefruit:Grapefruits supply lot of fiber and low calories. It has bioflavonoid that protects us from cancer, heart condition and prevents tumor development. It increases metabolic rate, reduces insulin levels and a good source of weight loss.
It also assists us during indigestion, urinary problems, excess acidity. It works as an excellent appetite suppressant when compared to many other foods.
Research says that that the smell of grapefruit itself reduces hunger. The color inside is pinkish, white or mix of colors depending on variety. and the name it gets from the way it appears on tree – like grape fruits bunches.
Meyer Lemon:It is a hybrid lime fruit from China. It is named of American agricultural explorer F. N. Meyer.
He bought it from China to US. It is a hybrid cross between lemon and mandarin orange. Tree looks like ornamental tree.
But fruits are very useful as they can replace traditional lime fruits. It has same medicinal property as lime and is used in cooking and preparation of desserts too. Fruit is yellow color and larger than mandarin orange.
Tangelo: It is another citrus fruit that is a cross between two varieties – tangerine and pomelo fruits. It is extremely juicy and has little or mild sweet flavor.
It is used as substitute to sweet oranges and mandarin oranges in orange drinks and in various dishes. It generally has loose skin and easier to peel than oranges. Tangelo has elongated or protruding neck.
The two common varieties available in the market are Minneola tangelos and ugli tangelos. Tangelo trees looks very similar to oranges.
Fruits are rich in Vitamin C, A, flavanones, Calcium, potassium and magnesium. Fruits are also used in jams, marmalades and cakes.
Sweet Lime: It is a cultivar of citrus lemon and is a popular citrus fruit. Originated and cultivated in South Asia. It is also known as Musambi or sweet lime. It is commonly consumed in India and neighboring countries.
Fruits are very sweet and juice extracted from musambi is one of the most preferred juice during in summer season and recommended during sickness.
The sweet flavor and low acid content with high fiber makes it one of the favorite fruit of Asian country.
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Reference Source: https://foodfacts.mercola.com
Image credit: https://www.halegroves.com/ (fruits for sale), www.specialtyproduce.com
Pomelo:Pomelo is commonly known as pummelo or shaddock. It is closely related to grapefruits. It is the largest citrus fruit from Southeast Asia.
Taste is very pleasant and there is no tart or tangy flavor. Fruits are pale yellow or green in color.
Edible flesh inside is pulpy with white, red or pink color depending on the variety of pomelo.
It is rich in Vitamin C, potassium, Vit B6, magnesium and dietary fiber. It has culinary uses and is famously used in Mooncake festival.
Ugli:The name may be ugli and fruit may look bit ugly but ugli citrus fruits are very delicious and also priced high. Taste is unique and it is a cross between grapefruit, orange and tangerine. It is included under tangelo fruit type.
Juice of ugli fruit tastes like tangerine, less bitter than grapefruit and has an unique aroma. Skin looks yellow with bit dark touch and looks like mottle citrus.
The first recorded experiments on these fruits were in Florida first. It is native to Jamaica. Fruits are available between April and November.
Ugli supplies very less calories. Fruit is good for building immunity, fighting infection, are anti allergic, supplies good amount of calcium. Skin is used as zest and the inside white pith part has all those nutritional quality.
Kinnow: Kinnow is a cross between citrus cultivars King and willow leaf. It is similar to orange. It has high seed content.
The low seed variety is developed in Asian countries – Punjab of Pakistan and Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan of India. It survives high temperature. Tree grows vigorously and produces many fruits.
Skin is very loose and easy to peel. The fruit is best source of energy for cold weather. It improves metabolism, aids digestion, relives acidity and improves intestinal health.
It is also known was one of the best anti poison medicine. It is good for skin health.
Orange:Everyone prefers orange juice and orange fruits. It is a cross between two fruits of citrus family – pomelo and mandarin.
Tastes very sweet and grows in tropical and subtropical climates. Orange fruits known to increase metabolism, appetite and good for cold. It boosts energy and protects immune system.
Orange peel contains volatile oil glands and has several health benefits. Orange juice is also used as a preservative, flavor for various dishes. Fruit is also good for kidney and eye health.
Tangerine:Commonly known as tangerine, orange colored citrus fruits are hybrids of mandarin oranges.
It is sweeter than regular orange and is used in preparation of juice, drinks, desserts, salads and many dishes.
Tangerine peels are used as zest and are eaten coated in chocolate. Tangerine fruits known to contain Vitamin C in abundant and helps in fighting skin disease, arthritis, prevents inflammation, helps in healing wounds, cuts and good during common sicknesses like cold and fever. It also absorbs iron from food.
Key lime:It is also known as Mexican and West Indian lime. It has sweet flavor and flowers produce good fragrance. Key limes are different from regular lemons.
Key limes are more aromatic, tarter and has more juice. Slightly yellow green color and contain more seeds. They are more prevalent in Asian countries.
Fruits are also small and sometimes younger fruits plucked by mistake are hard to juice. Key limes are used in beauty industry and for homemade remedies. Good for skin, boosts energy. Reduces nausea, good source of antioxidants and helps to fight common cold.
Image credit: Image by GK von Skoddeheimen from Pixabay (Free for commercial use) & Specialtyproduce (for more information & produce)
Clementine:Clementine is one of the most common citrus fruit we all familiar with. It is commonly available in market. It is easy to peel the skin and fruit is very sweet.
It is a cross between sweet orange and sweet citrus. Many get confused with clementine and mandarin oranges because of their appearance.
Clementine’s are smallest member of mandarin family and are generally seedless. It is very popular in US. They have somewhat glossy skin and deep orange color.
Mandarin:Mandarin have flatter surface on both sides and easy to peel. They are available between March and November.
Mandarin hold special place in Asian festivals as they are symbol of abundance and glory. China is the largest producer and exporter of Mandarin variety.
They are sweeter than tangerine and clementine. Helps in digestion and cold condition.
Image credit: Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay & Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)
