Mandarine

The original mandarin (note the spelling)

“Mandarine” with an extra E is the British and European spelling for what Americans call “mandarin.” Both refer to Citrus reticulata, the ancestral loose-skinned citrus species.

The name likely derives from the Chinese mandarins (officials of the Imperial court), whose orange-yellow robes resembled the fruit’s color. European traders brought the fruit westward in the late 1700s.

The mother of modern citrus

Most familiar small citrus varieties are descendants or hybrids of Citrus reticulata:

• Clementine — natural mandarin × sweet orange hybrid
• Tangerine — a deep-orange mandarin variety (Mediterranean)
• Satsuma — a Japanese seedless mandarin variety
• Tangelo — mandarin × pomelo
• Murcott — mandarin × sweet orange

The original Citrus reticulata is one of three “true citrus” ancestor species (with citron and pomelo), from which essentially every other citrus fruit was bred or naturally hybridized.

China’s largest citrus crop

Mandarins are the most-cultivated citrus in China — far ahead of oranges, lemons, or grapefruits. Chinese mandarin production accounts for the majority of global supply, followed by Spain and Mediterranean producers.

Much of China’s mandarin harvest goes to canned mandarin oranges — those small peeled segments in syrup that Americans associate with cafeteria fruit cups. China dominates this market thanks to abundant supply and low-cost peeling labor.

A Christmas tradition

In Britain and northern Europe, a mandarine in the toe of a Christmas stocking is a centuries-old tradition — dating from when winter citrus was a rare imported luxury. The bright orange fruit symbolized warmth and abundance during the darkest weeks of the year.

The tradition persists, though most modern stockings get clementines or satsumas (descendants of the true mandarine) rather than the original variety.