In 1646 in the novel "Hesperides" Ferrari describes this magic fruit.
In botany, the first description of kumquat was compiled in 1912 by the Algerian scientist Trabiu. According to his article, kinkan is a dwarfish evergreen tree with small oval fruits of golden, orange or orange-orange color. There are 5-8 lobules in the fetus, several seeds. The fruit ripen in February-March. Fruiting rind soft, suitable for food. Strong aroma, the taste is sweetish-spicy.
Today kumquat grows in China, Japan, in some places in Georgia, Israel, Spain, France, almost in all countries of South-East Asia. In the genus Fortunella, kumquat is Japanese (F. japonica Thunb.).
The fruits of a small tree are eaten together with the peel, in contrast to the orange or mandarin. The taste of the pulp is slightly sour, and the peel is very sweet, a bit tart. This combination gives an unrivaled taste together. From the fruits of kumquat comes a strong pleasant citrus aroma.
Useful properties of kumquat.
Kumquat has a huge number of useful elements. So, the fruit improves the digestive system. Relieves stress, relieves apathy and depressive mood. Kumquat contains antifungal elements. In some areas of China, with the help of this fruit, cough and a cold are treated.
In kumquat contains vitamin C and P, pectin substances. In kumquat there are no nitrates. It contains a huge amount of essential oils.
Amazing is the property of kumquat to get rid of hangover syndrome. In China, after the happy holidays are necessarily treated with these fruits. When carrying out the next house feast, be sure to buy kumquat. And the hangover will not be in the morning!
Kumquat in cooking.
Buy an exotic fruit in Russia is not difficult. It is sold in any supermarkets and costs from 50 rubles per 1 kg.
Due to its sweet-luscious taste, kumquat is very often used for making candied fruits, jam, jam. Or just dried and dumped in sugar or powdered sugar.
From kumquat you can prepare a delicious sauce for fish or meat. Kinkan is a wonderful snack for cognac, whiskey. Gives original flavor to cocktails.
We bring to your attention several dishes using this magic fruit.
A tender chicken with kumquat.
You will need 200 grams of kumquat, 1.5 kg of chicken fillet, 2 tablespoons of salt, laurel, 3 spoons of orange jam (jam).
Place the meat in a mold, bake in the oven at 180 ° C for an hour. Add kumquat, filled with orange jam, put in the oven for another 20 minutes. In the resulting juice, grind several leaves of laurel and leave for another 10 minutes, until a delicious crust appears. You can decorate the prepared dish with kumquat. Your pets will be amazed by the unusual taste of meat.
Pork with kumquat.
You will need 1 kg of pork, 400 grams of kumquat, 100 g of honey, 3 tablespoons of salt, a little pepper.
Grate the fillets with salt and sprinkle a lot of pepper, place in the oven for 40 minutes. Kumquat soak in sugar syrup until it gives juice. Shift with honey. 20 minutes before the pork is ready, pour the dish with a mixture of juice of kumquat and honey. Place the fruit on top of the pork. Bake for another 20-30 minutes. Extraordinarily tender taste of pork is guaranteed to you!
Jam from kumquat.
You will need 300 - 400 grams of kumquat, 100 g of sugar syrup, 50 g of fresh ginger.
Cut the fruits into two parts. Pour sugar syrup (100 g), add a little fresh ginger, boil for 20 minutes. Delicious dessert is ready!
Rum with kumquat
You will need 200 g of sugar, 400 ml of rum, 400-500 g of kumquat.
Rinse the kumquat, puncture them with a toothpick, place in a pot of water. Blanch for 5 minutes. Drain the water. Dry the fruit. Place in sealed jars, add sugar and rum. Close the jars tightly. Kumquat is prepared for three months. The resulting fruits can be eaten just like that or used in fruit salads.
An unusually tasty and healthy Japanese fruit kumquat will find a response in the hearts of housewives. Give a new taste to old dishes using the "Japanese apple".