It is this fruit that many associate with the New Year holidays, so it's time to find out how to please your loved ones with sweet and juicy fruits. Mandarins ripen between November and December, so on the eve of New Year's holidays, they are the most relevant and delicious.
If oranges should be chosen as firm as possible (they are the most juicy!), Then with tangerines, on the contrary - they should be soft. The softer the tangerine, the sweeter it is. The color should not be green, but orange, even closer to yellow. It is also important how thick the peel is - it is better to take it with as thin as possible.
First, you need to choose a reliable seller or location. It is also critical to distinguish between mandarins and clementines. Different varieties have different taste and flesh, but tangerine must be juicy, free of foreign smells and tastes.
Regardless of the variety, the main requirements for tangerines are freshness, ripeness and quality. The requirements for different species are the same, but clementine should be dense and elastic, and tangerine can be softer. Mandatory presence of a stalk - without it, the tangerine cannot be considered fresh. It is desirable that it be green, not black or brown. The fruit should be healthy, free from wet spots and blackheads.
When pressed, the zest should smell like the "New Year's smell" of mandarin known from childhood. The more intense the smell, the more ripe the tangerine. The fruit itself should be colored evenly, with transitions from orange to green, but it is advisable to have green color no more than 30% of the area, and even better - without green.
