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Scott Shepherd
07-13-2011, 9:55 PM
Anyone know what kind of oranges they serve in Chinese restaurants? They are the best oranges I've ever had. I asked one local place and they told me they were special oranges brought in from China but they couldn't remember the name of them.

Anyone know what they are and if they are readily available in the U.S.?

John Fabre
07-13-2011, 10:18 PM
Mandarin Oranges

Gary Hodgin
07-13-2011, 10:21 PM
Mandarin oranges are available in U.S., but it may be a seasonal thing. Not sure. They are very good!

Scott Shepherd
07-13-2011, 10:36 PM
I thought mandarins were small. These are big, and seem to have a really thick skin. Are those mandarins?

John Fabre
07-13-2011, 10:47 PM
Mandarins are small with a thin skin, could be Navel oranges.

Gary Hodgin
07-13-2011, 10:56 PM
Here's a picture of a mandarin orange. They're about the size of a tangerine.

http://ayeshahaq.wordpress.com/2009/05/16/fruit-of-the-week-mandarin-orange/

Scott Shepherd
07-14-2011, 8:03 AM
Yeah, then it's not that! It's a large orange, like a naval orange, but the skin is about twice as thick as a normal orange. They are super sweet. They said they were not grown in the US and were not your normal orange.

They are normally brought on a plate, sliced up, at the end of the meal.

John Coloccia
07-14-2011, 8:17 AM
I believe you're thinking of a kumquat. I've never seen a large one but it's the only orang like thing I've ever been served at the end of a meal in a Chinese restaurant.

Dick Strauss
07-14-2011, 9:07 AM
Not a kumquat...kumquats typically have a very thin skin...so thin that the skin is usually eaten along with the orange. It is also an unmistakable oval shape almost like the shape of a small egg but less pointed on the ends and is maybe 1.5" long. I ate many of those as a kid from the neighbors tree/bush!

Jincheng orange maybe???

Gary Hodgin
07-14-2011, 10:14 AM
It's been so long since I've eaten in a Chinese restaurant I don't remember the oranges, but that sounds like the naval orange mentioned above. It's sweet, big, and thick skinned (my wife describes me that way too). It has the recognizable "naval" at the end opposite the stem. Here's a pic.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tanakafarms.com/Pictures/CSA_Harvest_Time/Navel_Orange.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tanakafarms.com/CSA_Box.html&h=495&w=513&sz=53&tbnid=pyMPTl3w2tUuSM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=93&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dnavel%2Borange%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=navel+orange&usg=__UGXVNnVpXPfeaFRVuOH4UdawTPQ=&sa=X&ei=z_ceTrCWG-jX0QH5sJnNAw&ved=0CHAQ9QEwBg&dur=4725

Scott Shepherd
07-14-2011, 10:39 AM
Believe it or not, I do know what an orange is :p

It has the size and shape of a naval orange, with no doubt. However, it's far sweeter than a naval orange, and the skin is about 50% thicker than a standard naval orange.

They were very specific to tell me that it was not a US grown orange and they were imported by a produce company that brings food in from China once a week. The waitress said she would get the name for us, then she went into the back and we never saw her again :) I think they didn't want us to know :)

Edit : I do see a "Chinese Naval Orange" that's available from importers from China. I wonder if that's it?

Belinda Barfield
07-14-2011, 11:23 AM
A Jincheng sweet orange? A sweet juice orange with very thick skin.

John Coloccia
07-14-2011, 11:32 AM
Not a kumquat...kumquats typically have a very thin skin...so thin that the skin is usually eaten along with the orange. It is also an unmistakable oval shape almost like the shape of a small egg but less pointed on the ends and is maybe 1.5" long. I ate many of those as a kid from the neighbors tree/bush!

Jincheng orange maybe???

The kumquats I've seen have very thick, but edible, skin compared to the fruit, and many of them are round. Some look exactly like a small orange. I was thinking that there might be a giant variety out there somewhere.

Greg Portland
07-14-2011, 12:44 PM
Here are pictures of every type of orange: http://users.kymp.net/citruspages/sweetoranges.html

It sounds like Belinda may be right (based on the picture).

Phil Thien
07-14-2011, 10:00 PM
Do they have seeds?

Bill Cunningham
07-14-2011, 10:16 PM
The large Florida Oranges look like navel oranges, have a thick skin, and I have always found them to be juicer and better tasting than the Calif. Navel oranges..

Scott Shepherd
07-15-2011, 9:05 AM
I think they may have a seed or two. I think Belinda has nailed it. That's exactly what the skin looks like, very thick.

I'll go looking at international grocery stores and see if I can find them.

http://users.kymp.net/citruspages/jincheng1-jk.jpg

Scott Shepherd
07-17-2011, 11:19 AM
I think I found them :) Went to a Chinese grocery store, they had a box sitting out, no labels on it, just a box of oranges with Chinese writing all over the box. Nice, big oranges. I bought one to try it out and I think it was the right thing. Man that was a good orange. No seeds either. So I have no idea what it is, since it wasn't labeled, but the skin was thick and it was a delicious orange!

Craig D Peltier
07-22-2011, 6:59 PM
I also heard that they possibly pour plum juice on it to make it taste sweeter?

Kevin Gregoire
07-28-2011, 3:34 PM
i miss orange season here in south dakota when it comes around each year from florida.
i think i eat 2 or 3 a day, mmmmmmm and then grape season comes around, and then....

i sure cant see chinese restaurants here in the states ordering oranges from china?
they have to grown here i would think?