The secret world of kumquats

I confess to misconceptions about kumquats.

     They didn’t grow ‘em where I grew up outside of DEE-troit and even after decades of living in New England, I had never seen one at the age of 64.

     So, eating a kumquat was one of my “virgin” resolves for 2012. I loved the sound of the word – KUMquat.

     I pictured a medium-sized, “squat” fruit, like a misshapen papaya or mango, which of course was the first misconception.

     Kumquats – native to Asia – are tiny, perfectly oval creations that look like baby oranges, which is close to what they are. Sort of.

     Peel open a little kumquat and taste the inside and you’ll get a burst of intense citrus flavor, almost like you were getting the “zest” along with the fruit. Eat the kumquat whole (which many people do) and you get the same, slightly sweeter, sensation, like the zing of a good marmalade (which, it turns out, kumquats are often used for).  With kumquats, it’s the rind that’s sweet and the pulp that’s tart, so eating them whole makes sense.

     Where do you get them? Gourmet shops or places like Whole Foods, which is where I got mine.

     What do you do with them?  Many people DO use them for marmalade, but I tried making “candied” kumquats, which can be used as snacks, on salads, or in this great hazelnut crunch cake recipe from Epicurious.

     I love it when my preconceptions get overturned.