It’s late January, when most of the country is only dreaming about warm weather and the delicious enjoyment of eating freshly picked produce. Here at Florida Fruit Shippers it’s the peak of citrus season, with many varieties of oranges, grapefruit, honeybells and tangerines all ripe for the harvest and ready to be savored! These varieties differ in appearance, color, texture, and most importantly, taste. Overall, grapefruit is considered to be on the sour side, while oranges generally classify as sweet. But what is “taste,” really? how does it compare to “flavor?” And how many different tasty flavors can citrus really have?
Taste and the Many Flavors of Citrus
There are receptors on our tongue’s taste buds for five broad categories of taste: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savory. Of these, citrus covers three of them: sweet, sour, and bitter. The flavor of something is the combined effect of its taste and odor, so to maximize your enjoyment of eating your citrus of choice, take a nice whiff first, an intentional and mindful bite, and then proceed to chew slowly so that your olfactory receptors can continue to take up the citrusy notes along with your taste buds.
Numerous adjectives are used to describe how something tastes beyond the five main categories. Imbibe, Inc. has identified thirty-six key flavors in the foods that we eat and smell, and of these, seven can be used to describe citrus fruits in varying degrees: acidic, candy-like, clean, delicate, piquant (exciting), tangy, and tart. Let’s examine some of the January fruits and get to know their flavors a bit better.
Oranges
Grapefruit
Tangerines
Tangerines are available all season long, from November through May. They tend to be sweeter and less acidic than oranges, with a lightly tart flavor that is balanced out with a honey-like sweetness. If you get any of the pith of the fruit, you may also taste a stronger bitter flavor, as tangerines in general have a stronger taste, smell, and overall flavor compared to other citrus varieties.
Honeybells
Whether you prefer sweet, sour, bitter, or any combination of these, citrus fruits have you covered! One thing we can say for sure: no matter which citrus types you choose to enjoy this season, you have excellent taste.
SOURCES:
Types of Taste: What to Know About Taste and Flavor (healthline.com)
Understanding Tastes and Food Flavors | American Heart Association
A Complete Guide to Citrus Fruits (thespruceeats.com)
36 Key Terms for Describing Taste and Flavor – Imbibe (imbibeinc.com)
What Do Tangerines Taste Like? (foodmeetsflavor.com)
What are Honeybell Oranges? (with pictures) (delightedcooking.com)
#Citrus #Good #Taste