UPDATED June 17th, 2017
Kumquats are a unique and often unappreciated winter fruit. These little gems are originally from China, the word kumquat means gold orange in Chinese. Nagami or oval kumquats are the most common variety in the U.S. They’re about 1½” around, 2″ long and were brought to Florida from Japan in 1895. In fact, St. Joseph, Florida is the “Kumquat Capital of the World” and neighboring Dade City is home to the annual Kumquat Festival on the last Saturday in January.
This fruit is particularly good for cooking because of its unusual flavor. Chef David Meador says, “This small oval-shaped citrus fruit is kind of the yin and yang of fruit because the skin is sweet, but the inner flesh is quite tart.” You can eat everything except the seeds. We’ve found 10 delicious kumquat recipes to introduce you to the splendor of this fascinating fruit.
