Kumquat

The kumquat is a citrus tree native to China, where it has been cultivated since the 12th century. It first appeared in Europe in the early 19th century by Robert Fortune, a botanist at the Horticultural Society. Kumquat means in Chinese "golden orange».

It has a height of up to four meters and is cultivated in temperate and subtropical regions of the earth both for its homonymous fruit and as an ornamental plant, because it is easy to maintain in the house. Its leaves are dark green, lanceolate and its flowers look like those of an orange. The fruit is round or oval depending on the species and has a diameter of up to four centimeters. Its color is orange or orange-yellow and the skin of the fruit is aromatic and has a sweet taste. The flesh of the fruit is not very juicy and its taste is sweet and sour. The kumquat It is eaten raw, canned but mainly becomes sweet, jam, jelly.

At Corfu It was first introduced by the English in 1846, and specifically the botanist Sidney Merlin, also known for the homonymous variety of orange that he cultivated on his estate to Dassia. Today, the kumquat, featured PDO product, is cultivated mainly in North Corfu with an annual production of about 140 tons, and especially around the village Nymphs, where the liqueur has become a trademark of Corfu.

But kumquat is also used in cookery and especially in confectionery, giving candied fruits, jams and pastries, and even goes into aromas!

It is no coincidence that in commercial streets of Corfu You will come across dozens of stores selling different versions of it kumquat.