Uses

Culinary

Slices of pink grapefruit, lime, lemon and orange (clockwise from top)Many citrus fruits, such as oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, and clementines, are generally eaten fresh. They are typically peeled and can be easily split into segments. Grapefruit is more commonly halved and eaten out of the skin with a spoon. There are special spoons (grapefruit spoons) with serrated tips designed for this purpose. Orange and grapefruit juices are also very popular breakfast beverages. More astringent citrus, such as lemons and limes are generally not eaten on their own. Meyer Lemons can be eaten 'out of hand' with the fragant skin; they are both sweet and sour. Lemonade or limeade are popular beverages prepared by diluting the juices of these fruits and adding sugar. Lemons and limes are also used as garnishes or in cooked dishes. Their juice is used as an ingredient in a variety of dishes; it can commonly be found in salad dressings and squeezed over cooked meat or vegetables. A variety of flavours can be derived from different parts and treatments of citrus fruits. The rind and oil of the fruit is generally very bitter, especially when cooked. The fruit pulp can vary from sweet and tart to extremely sour. Marmalade, a condiment derived from cooked orange and lemon, can be especially bitter. Lemon or lime is commonly used as a garnish for water, soft drinks, or cocktails. Citrus juices, rinds, or slices are used in a variety of mixed drinks. The colourful outer skin of some citrus fruits, known as zest, is used as a flavouring in cooking; the white inner portion of the peel, the pith, is usually avoided due to its bitterness. The zest of a citrus fruit, typically lemon or an orange, can also be soaked in water in a coffee filter, and drunk.

Medical

Citrus juice also has medical uses; lemon juice is used to relieve the pain of bee stings. The orange is also used in vitamin C pills, which prevents scurvy. Scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency, and can be prevented by having 10 milligrams of vitamin C a day. An early sign of scurvy is fatigue. If ignored, later symptoms are bleeding and bruising easily. After consumption, the peel is sometimes used as a facial cleanser. Before the development of fermentation-based processes, lemons were the primary commercial source of citric acid

Types of citrus fruit

Clementine  Leech Lime  Sweety

Grapefruit  Mandarin  Tangerine

Kumquat  Minneola  Tangelo

Lemon  Orange  Ugli

Rough Lemon  Pummelo  

Lime  Satsuma

CANDIED TANGERINE PEEL

Use as a candy, a garnish or an ingredient!

INGREDIENTS:

5 large tangerines, halved and juiced (save the juice to drink at breakfast time)

2 cups granulated sugar, plus 1 cup for tossing

Place the tangerine halves in a large saucepan with enough cold water to cover.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the tangerine rinds are tender,

about 30 to 45 minutes. (Begin checking the rinds for tenderness about 20

minutes into the process, you don’t want them to become mushy.) You’ll know

they’re done when you can scrape away the pith (the white part) easily. Drain

the peels and when cool enough to handle, cut into 1/4-inch strips. In the same

sauce pan (now empty), combine 1 1/4 cups water with the sugar. Bring to a boil,

add the peels, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the peel is translucent, stirring

occasionally. Spread the candied peel onto an oiled cooling rack over a cookie sheet

and allow to cool and drain. Spread the remaining sugar in a large shallow bowl, or

on a cookie sheet. Add the drained peel to the sugar and toss to coat with the sugar,

separating the pieces as you do so. Spread the candied peel on a cookie sheet to dry

overnight. Store in an airtight container in the freezer or refrigerator.