A Bigger Pucker

Friday nights are my grocery night. The store's always empty, and that gives me more time to look around at all the aisles. The typical Sunday-afternoon grocery trip here involves ninja tactics and some tackle football skills, so I try to avoid it if all possible. That way, I don't end up at home with random ingredients (like fat-free sweetened condensed milk--that's just wrong).

I ended up at a local pseudo-gourmet grocery store this last Friday. One of the best parts is the produce section. Unlike the pseudo-gourmet's younger brother, this store houses fresh, firm produce and some exotic offerings.



One of the things that I stumbled upon was the mandarinquat. Not quite a mandarin orange, not quite a kumquat, this thin-skinned beauty had a bright orange color reminiscent of a mandarin. After unsuccessfully trying to peel one, I bit in--and wow! Don't expect these babies to be sweet. Mandarinquats are really a palm-sized version of kumquats, which are generally sour. People who like them enjoy the crunch of the skin and the sour flavor they add to dishes.

The Food Lover's Companion doesn't have an entry, but they sure are helpful for most things.