Kumquat | What is Kumquat Fruit | Health Benefits of Kumquat Fruit and its juices | Uses of Kumquat Fruit | Nutritional Value of Kumquat Fruit

Kumquat | What is Kumquat Fruit | Health Benefits of Kumquat Fruit and its juices | Uses of Kumquat Fruit | Nutritional Value of Kumquat Fruit

The kumquats or cumquats are a family of small fruit-bearing trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, in the genus Fortunella which is often included in the genus Citrus. The edible fruit closely resembles that of the orange (Citrus sinensis), but is smaller and is often oval.

They are slow-growing evergreen shrubs or short trees, from 2.5 to 4.5 metres (8 to 15 ft) tall, with sparse branches, sometimes bearing small thorns. The leaves are dark glossy green, and the flowers pure yellow, similar to other citrus flowers, borne singly or clustered in the leaf-axils.

The kumquat tree produces 30 to 50 fruit each year. The tree can be hydrophytic, and fruit is often found floating near the shore during the kumquat season.

Kumquats originated in China, appearing in literature dating to the 12th century. They have long been cultivated in Japan, and were introduced to Europe in 1846 by Robert Fortune, collector for the London Horticultural Society, and shortly thereafter into North America. Originally placed in the genus Citrus, they were transferred to the genus Fortunella in 1915, though subsequent work (Burkill 1931, Mabberley 1998) favours their return to Citrus.

Uses and Health Benefits of Kumquat Fruit:

Kumquats are often eaten raw. As the rind is sweet and the juicy centre is sour and salty, the raw fruit is usually consumed either whole — to savour the contrast — or only the rind is eaten. The fruit is considered ripe when it reaches a yellowish-orange stage and has just shed the last tint of green. The Hong Kong Kumquat has a rather sweet rind compared to the rinds of other citrus fruits.

Kumquat4

Culinary uses include: candying and kumquat preserves, marmalade, and jelly. Kumquats have begun to appear as a martini garnish, in lieu of the classic olive.

They can also be sliced and added to salads.

A liqueur can be made by macerating kumquats in vodka or other clear spirit.

Potted kumquat trees at a kumquat liqueur distillery in Corfu.

The Cantonese often preserve kumquats in salt or sugar. A batch of the fruit is buried in dry salt inside a glass jar. Over time, all the juice from the fruit is diffused into the salt. The fruit in the jar becomes shrunken, wrinkled, and dark brown in colour, and the salt combines with the juice to become a dark brown brine.

Kumquat6 Kumquat juice

A few salted kumquats with a few teaspoons of the brine/juice may be mixed with hot water to make a remedy for sore throats. A jar of such preserved kumquats can last several years and still keep its taste.

In the Philippines, kumquats are a popular addition to both hot and iced tea.

In Vietnam, kumquat bonsai trees are used as a decoration for the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Kumquat fruits are also boiled or dried to make a candied snack called mứt quất.

Variants of the kumquat are grown specially in India.

Kumquat | What is Kumquat Fruit | Health Benefits of Kumquat Fruit and its juices

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