Let me get the obvious question out of the way first: what the hell is a mandarinquat?
Yes, it's obviously a cross between a mandarin and a kumquat, but… what the hell is a mandarinquat?
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A mandarinquat is a fruit that looks kind of like a tangelo, except smaller, and you can eat the entire thing, just like a kumquat. Outside is that thin, sweet skin that just sprays citrus oil into your mouth. Inside, instead of the horrendously sour pulp of a kumquat, there's the honey-scented flesh of a mandarin–it tastes just like a Page tangerine.
The only downside to this miracle cross is that it does have seeds–so roll them around in your mouth and have a spittin' contest. Just don't do it where your grandmother can see you.
Where do you get mandarinquats? From Bautista Family Farms at the SoCo Farmers Market, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the SoCo Collection, 3300-and-change Hyland Avenue, near the IKEA in Costa Mesa.
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