Mandarins: Sweet citrus fruit that packs a punch

Mandarins are thought to originate from ancient China. In Roman times they found their way to Italy thanks to traders. They are especially tasty between October and February when they are widely available in the shops. This cheerful fruit is mainly grown in Spain, Greece, Morocco, Mexico and Brazil.

Here are some interesting facts about mandarins for you to enjoy!

Pips
Various studies have shown that most mandarins do not contain any pips at all. There's a logical explanation. Often the mandarin develops without a fertilised seed. If the seed is not fertilised, no pips will develop. Trees of seedless mandarins are reproduced by grafting onto other rootstocks. However, if the trees are pollinated by bees, they can still develop seeds or pips due to cross pollination with flowers from other citrus trees close by.

Segments…
The question of whether a mandarin contains an even or uneven number of segments is difficult to answer. A mandarin often consists of nine segments, but sometimes also ten. Mandarins with seven segments or less are very rare, just like mandarins with more than twelve segments. You can actually see from the outside how many segments there are in a mandarin. If you remove the green “cap", you will see some white dots under it. Count the dots and you will know how many segments are in the mandarin! 

…and sugar
A mandarin contains on average 4.9 grams of sugar, 0.5 grams of fibres and 0.1 grams of fat. There is hardly any difference between the nutritional value of fresh and tinned mandarins. However tinned fruit usually has more sugar because it is in a sugary syrup.