How do you eat a kumquat?

click fraud protection

Although kumquats are small, they taste delicious and are full of valuable ingredients. How kumquats are eaten is still a mystery to many. We at Plantura explain and show how the dwarf orange is eaten.

Kumquats lie in a pile on a table
Eating kumquat must be learned - that's why we show you how to do it correctly in this article [Photo: Yakov Oskanov / Shutterstock.com]

the Kumquat (Fortunella) - sometimes also spelled Cumquat - belongs to the large family of Citrus fruits and thus ranks next orange (Citrus × sinensis L.), lime (Citrus × aurantiifolia) and Co. a. What is special about the dwarf orange: It is much smaller than its vitamin C-rich relatives. Accordingly, it is also consumed in a special way. In this article we show you how best to eat kumquats, what ingredients they contain and how you can use them in the kitchen.

How do you eat kumquats?

Kumquats are called dwarf oranges, but in contrast to oranges, the small fruits are eaten with their skin on. Eating the kumquat bowl has many advantages: This is how you also take in the ingredients that are contained in the bowl. In addition, the peel of kumquats tastes sweet and aromatic. You can also consume the kernels without hesitation. With kumquats, you eat the entire fruit. Before eating, the fruits are washed thoroughly with lukewarm water and then dried. Connoisseurs now roll the fruit a few times between their fingers. This is supposed to soften the peel and release sweet flavors. This means that the kumquat tastes less bitter. Now the dwarf orange can actually already be eaten. If you are bothered by the kernels, you can cut the fruit once in the middle and remove it with a knife.

Instructions: Eat kumquat with its peel

  • Wash and dry thoroughly
  • Rub between fingers to release flavor from the peel
  • If you want, you can remove the cores
  • Enjoy the kumquat with the bowl
Kumquats are cut with a knife
With kumquats, the shell and kernels are eaten [Photo: Suvorova Alexandra / Shutterstock.com]

Kumquats taste similar to oranges, but with a special kick. Because the peel of the fruit tastes sweet, the inside of the fruit tastes sour. There are now several breeds of kumquats. For example, you can also enjoy dwarf limes, lime quads or small lemons, lemon quads. Like kumquats, you can eat lemonquads or limequads whole with the skin on.

Ingredients of the kumquat: what makes the dwarf orange so healthy?

Small but mighty - this saying fully applies to the dwarf oranges. Kumquats are a real one Superfood, because the small fruit is full of valuable ingredients such as vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Kumquat cut in a fruit salad
The little kumquats are real vitamin bombs [Photo: uladzimir zgurski / Shutterstock.com]

There is so much good in a kumquat:

  • vitamin C
  • Vitamin E.
  • Vitamin B3
  • sodium
  • calcium
  • potassium
  • iron
  • copper
  • Beta carotene

It's hard to believe, but a kumquat contains twice as much vitamin C as an oranges. This strengthens the immune system and acts as an antioxidant to protect the cells from free radicals. Another reason the dwarf oranges are so healthy is their high calcium content. Calcium stimulates digestion and metabolism, and is also good for bones and teeth.

Using kumquats in the kitchen

Kumquats are just as versatile in the kitchen as oranges. They can be found in hearty kumquat recipes, for example, as a fruity component in salads or sauces for poultry or lamb. The vitamin bombs are also very good in sweet dishes, for example with desserts such as fruit salad or ice cream. Other kumquat recipes include kumquat compote, kumquat chutney or candied kumquats. Kumquat chutney goes well as a sweet and spicy alternative to cheese or meat. For example, you can use kumquats together with Apricots, Carrots, Onions, garlic and chili reduce with sugar.

Kumquats also go very well with spirits. A simple kumquat liqueur recipe is as follows: 500 grams of kumquats are made with the same amount of sugar and, if desired, with cloves, vanilla and cinnamon in cognac or brandy. After two weeks, the delicious kumquat liqueur can be enjoyed.
Another popular use of the fruit is kumquat syrup. To do this, 250 grams of the small fruits are boiled down with 600 grams of sugar and six tablespoons of lemon juice.

Kumquats and kumquat jam on a table
A popular recipe with kumquats is dwarf orange jam [Photo: 279photo Studio / Shutterstock.com]

Dwarf orange jam is also particularly popular: Kumquats are boiled down with the same amount of sugar.

Recipe kumquat jam:

  • 1.5 kilos of washed kumquats, without seeds
  • 4 - 5 oranges
  • 2 lemons
  • 1 kg of sugar
  • 1 vanilla pod

To do this, wash the kumquats, dry them and cut them into fine slices. Remove all the stones with a sharp knife and peel the oranges and lemons. Put the kumquats and the zest of the oranges and lemons in a large saucepan. Cut open the vanilla pod, scrape out the pulp and also add to the saucepan, sprinkle the sugar over it, but do not stir. Let the whole thing boil down for three hours on a low heat, still do not stir. Then fill into glasses.

If you just can't get enough of healthy fruit, find out more about that here 15 types of fruit with a particularly high amount of vitamin C..