English Name: Kumquat \ Cumquat
Botanical Name: Fortunella margarita
DESCRIPTION: A tiny variety of orange with a sweet skin and a sour fleshy part that are often both eaten.
ORIGIN: “Kum” and “Quat” meaning good fortune Kumquat are words native to China, and named so after the botanist Robert Fortune, who brought them in from China to Europe in the middle of the 19th century. Although, kumquats taste just like other citrus they are distinguished in a way that they can be eaten completely with the peel.
Kumquats are small sized tree native to South eastern part of mountainous China. Today, they are grown for their delicious fruit and as an ornamental tree in countries like USA. A mature kumquats tree produces several hundred olive-sized brilliant orange colour fruit in the winter.
NATURAL BENEFITS: Kumquats has calorific value related to that of grapes. They are rich in phyto-nutrients such as dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and pigment anti-oxidants like vitamin A,B,C & E that contibute immensely to human wellness and minerals like calcium, copper, potassium, manganese, iron, selenium, and zinc.
USES: Used as fruit juice, eaten fresh can be added in salads, or candied and also used to garnish. Used in preparations of sauce, jams, and jellies, cakes, pies, ice cream. etc. Used in marinating and garnishing poultry, lamb, and sea food dishes.
My Cookery Zone 