Man, that’s a lot of citrus!

Telling the difference between Clementines and Satsumas

The Clementine vs. The Satsuma

In the winter, every week at the Los Angeles Farmer’s Markets, I find myself ooohing and aaahhhing at the abundance of beautiful citrus around. All these fruits make wonderful snacks and are a great little afternoons pick me up. I am determined to get to know my produce better, so this week I decided to answer an age old question for myself what really is the difference between a Satsuma and a Clementine.

Here’s the results:

Turns out both these fruits are types of mandarins and both come in seedless varieties.

Clementines: I am more familiar with because these are what you see in large bags sold at Grocery Stores around Christmas time. They originated in Algeria. The fruit was rounder and easier to peel and a bit less fibery. It was sweet but definitely had more of a tang to it.

Satsumas: The fruit looks a wee bit flattened or squashed on the top and bottom (like the stocky version of the Clemintine), and originated in Satsuma, Japan. I found these a bit more difficult to peel perfectly, but much sweeter/ more flavorful.