The Minneola Tangelo has a unique bell shape.
The tangelo is a hybrid citrus fruit --- the product of crossing tangerine with grapefruit or pummelo. The tangelo inherited some characteristics from its parent, the tangerine, but it is so distinctly different from it and other citrus fruits, tangelo is in a botanical class of its own. Both fruits have the characteristic rich orange skin color, segmented inner fruit, and are favored for eating fresh. They differ significantly in physical characteristics, such as size, shape, juiciness and skin thickness. Nutritionally, tangerines and tangelos are similar, but tangerines provide more dietary fiber.
Characteristics
Tangerines and tangelos are similarly colored a rich, reddish-orange. The skin of the tangerine is thick, loose, and more pebbly than the tangelo, whose skin is thin, adheres more to the inner fruit, and has only a slightly pebbled texture. Tangerines are about half the size of tangelos, although some tangelo varieties can be near the size of grapefruit. A medium tangerine weighs about 3 oz. while a medium tangelo weighs 7 oz., producing a 1/2-cup and 1-cup serving, respectively. Minneola is the oldest and best known variety of tangelo. Also known as "Honeybells," Minneolas can be identified by the knob-like formation at the stem end, which gives them a bell shape. Tangerines are round-to-oval in shape and the most common variety is Dancy. Tangerines generally have one seed per segment while tangelos are relatively seedless.
Flavor
Any discussion or comparison of flavors between the tangerine and tangelo is probably flawed. Individual tastes vary and for every person who swears that the tangerine has the better flavor, another person will say that the tangelo is superior. Flavor is commonly described as sweet-tart for both fruits with some sources suggesting that the tangelo is slightly more tart than the tangerine. Both are considered sub-acid and less likely to result in a sore mouth when eaten in quantity.
Consumption
Tangerines ripen earlier than tangelos. Tangerines are available November till January and tangelos come to market December through February. Both are popular choices as a gift fruit for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Tangerines tend to be preferred over tangelos as a snack fruit for children because of their smaller size and loose skin that children can easily peel. The smaller tangerine segments separate cleanly into kid-size bites, which results in less mess than eating tangelos. Larger, juicier tangelos, with their complex sweet-tart flavor, are favored by adults for juicing and eating out-of-hand.
Nutrition
Ounce for ounce, there is little nutritional difference between tangerines and tangelos, with one exception. Tangelos contain less flesh and more juice than their parent, the tangerine. Thus, tangerines possess almost twice the amount of dietary fiber found in the tangelo. One medium tangelo or two medium tangerines supply 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin C.
Tags: bell shape, dietary fiber, inner fruit, medium tangelo, parent tangerine, tangelo medium, tangelos with
