Kumquat Jam: 7 Cooking Recipes

In China, Japan, South Asia and southern Europe, amazing citrus grows, whose name translates as "golden orange." Most often, the fruits are called kumquat, but the name "kinkan" or "fortunella" has also taken root. The latter name is more popular in the European part of the continent and is given by the name of the English collector Robert Fortune. He brought a curious fruit from China in 1864. The unusual taste, reminiscent of mandarin with a slight acidity, the original appearance and complete suitability for food along with the skin gave citrus recognition. Many became true fans of the oriental delicacy, inventing a lot of delicious recipes with his participation, including jam.

Features of Golden Orange

The birthplace of kumquat is considered to be the Asia-Pacific region. After the plant was brought to Europe, it successfully took root on the islands of Greece, in Transcaucasia. The fruits are grown commercially in many countries, including Japan, Taiwan, India, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia.

There are several types of fortunella, differing in the shape of the fruit. But outwardly the plants are very similar. These are evergreen shrubs or small trees that grow very slowly. Branches are dense, often equipped with spikes.

Flowering is similar to tangerine. The fruits are small, oval, no larger than 2.5 cm in size. At first glance, they look like oblong miniature oranges. The similarity ends here. With kumquat, taste is distributed as if vice versa. It has become customary that sweet flesh is hidden under a bitterish skin. Golden orange breaks stereotypes, because its skin is sweet, and the mass inside is sour.

The plant produces huge crops. Depending on the species, it grows from several hundred to 3-4 thousand fruits per year.

Kumquat is eaten fresh and made from it many treats, including marmalade, jam, candied fruit. It is included in the recipe of some liquors. It makes an amazing jam.

Composition and calorie content

Like other citrus fruits, kumquat can boast a high content of vitamin C. It contains almost the entire range of group B, omega-3, 6, 9 fatty acids, volatile acids, essential oils, pectin, enzymes, furocoumarin. Of the minerals, phosphorus, potassium, iron, copper, calcium and zinc are the most.

Fresh fruits are boldly reckoned as dietary products, since the caloric value does not exceed 71 kcal. But he quickly jumps in the dried, dried and cooked with the addition of sugar, approaching the mark of 285 kcal.

Useful properties of kumquat

The fruit has anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic and antibacterial effects. The pulp is used not only in fresh form. In folk medicine, inhalations with a kumquat skin are popular. Essential oils are used as an effective tool to combat loss of strength, depression, emotional breakdowns and the effects of prolonged stress.

A few fruits a day are capable of:

• strengthen immunity;
• lower cholesterol;
• start cleansing blood vessels of cholesterol plaques;
• relieve joint pain;
• improve appearance by strengthening hair, nails and starting the regeneration of skin cells;
• increase concentration;
• reduce emotional stress;
• activate metabolic processes.

The high content of ascorbic acid has made kumquat a natural sobering agent. A few fresh fruits, eaten together with the skin, significantly reduce the time to exit the hangover syndrome. Aromatic oil based on golden orange helps not to catch the virus during the flu, improves skin condition, relieves chronic fatigue syndrome.

Why kumquat jam is good

The delicacy is cooked for a very short time, undergoes a small temperature treatment, with the exception of thick jams and jams. The bulk of vitamins and the structure of trace elements are preserved. It is unfortunate that Group B almost breaks up, but otherwise many of the qualities of the fresh product remain unchanged.

The bactericidal properties are preserved, due to the essential oils the emotional background is stabilized and a few spoons of exotic jam can significantly raise the mood, restore vigor after a hard day. The mineral complex in the composition of the fruits activates brain activity, strengthens the immune system, improves the quality of memory.

Jam prolongs youth by supplying the body with vitamin E, which is necessary to slow down the aging process, maintain skin elasticity, hair beauty and the health of nail plates.

How to choose kumquat for jam

To dainty turned out with a rich taste and stored for a long time, you need to choose only ripe fruits. Biting them at the counter is unlikely to allow, so you have to focus on aroma and appearance. The fruits must be:

• no external damage;
• dark or light spots;
• traces of mold and rot;
• saturated yellow-orange color;
• give in slightly under your fingers when pressed.

Too soft fruits have already ripened, hard ones are torn off by green ones and have not finished yet. The peculiarity of kumquat is that with artificial ripening the fruit almost loses its unique flavor, its taste becomes inexpressive. Therefore, you should look for citruses in the juice itself. This will indicate a bright characteristic smell with a hint of freshness, without the slightest hint of wine spirit.

How to make kumquat jam: recipes

If you have long been fed up with the usual strawberries with raspberries, tired of pear and apple desserts, then it is time to pay attention to an unusual delicacy of golden orange. The ancients poetically called it the food of the sages, cooked on honey. But it is perfectly replaced by sugar, which is much cheaper and reduces the risk of allergic reactions. Citruses and so relate to strong allergens.

In cooking, fresh fruit is most often used, introducing it into salads or using it as a decoration for ready meals. When cooking, kumquat acquires high calorie content and an incomparable taste, but a few spoons of an exquisite treat will not become fatal to the waist. There are several recipes, each has its own taste, preparing a dessert is very simple.

Classical

It will take 1 kg of sugar and fruits, 0.5 liters of water. Kumquat is washed, dried with a towel and cut into rings. Seeds are removed, pieces of fruit are dipped in boiling sugar syrup. They are boiled for 5 minutes with constant stirring, then the container with jam is set aside for 12 hours.

Important: foam during the boil is removed necessarily. It spoils the look of the finished product.

After the second cooking session, lasting 15 minutes, the hot mass is immediately laid out in banks. The degree of readiness is checked with a drop of syrup on a plate. If it does not spread and retains its shape, then it's time to remove the delicacy from the stove.

Amber

Whole berries in a transparent syrup look original. At the same time, orange juice is added to the classic recipe. Sugar and citrus are taken in equal proportions, juice is squeezed out of 2 large sweet oranges. It is introduced into the syrup instead of water, the sweet mass is boiled for 1-2 minutes, then the fruits, chopped in several places with a wooden toothpick, are carefully lowered there.

On a note: it is better not to use metal objects in the process of preparing citruses. Due to the oxidation processes in the treat, a foreign taste may appear.

The first time the mixture is boiled for 15 minutes with constant stirring. Then they let her stand for a day and repeat the process, digesting until cooked. Usually enough for 20 minutes over medium heat.Ready jam stretches slightly from the spoon, and the syrup on the saucer does not blur.

Lemon mood

The jelly-like, refreshing and surprisingly beautiful-looking delicacy will be a worthy addition to the festive tea party. For cooking, you need sugar and kumquat in equal quantities. For syrup, choose 3 large lemons with a thick skin. Citruses are cut into halves, seeds are taken out of them and carefully laid on a gauze flap. Juice is squeezed out of lemons. Kumquat is placed in a pan with a thickened bottom, the layers are sprinkled with sugar, spilled with lemon juice on top and left for 3 hours. During infusion, the mass is carefully mixed with a wooden spatula 2-3 times.

After the juice has stood out and the sugar is half dissolved, put the pan on the stove for 30 minutes with minimal heating. It is impossible to distract from mixing the mass, sugar quickly burns up without attention. When cooking, it is important to remove the foam cavity. Without interrupting boiling, fruits are selected from the syrup with a slotted spoon, and kumquat kernels wrapped in gauze are lowered into the pan. They will fulfill the role of thickener, gelling the mass. It boils to a malleable state. It will take about half an hour. Then the gauze is removed, slices of citrus are returned to the pan, and after 10 minutes of cooking, the delicacy is laid out in small curly jars.

Vanilla bouquet

An original blend of flavors gives a combination of vanilla, kumquat and a drop of orange liquor. It can be replaced with mint, it will turn out well too. For cooking take:

• 1 kg of sugar and fruits;
• 1 sachet of vanilla sugar;
• 150 ml of liquor;
• 1 liter of water.

The process begins with a thorough washing of citrus fruits. They do not need to be cleaned, a thin fragrant peel only adds piquancy. She is completely edible.

Put the fruits in a saucepan and pour boiling water for 1 hour. Then they are cut into halves, the bones are removed, poured with water and brought to a boil. Then the water is poured into a separate container, sugar is added to it and boiled until dissolved. Then pour the syrup into halves of the fruit and boil for about 30 minutes. As soon as the syrup begins to drag slightly, add vanilla, liquor and immediately turn off the stove. The delicacy is mixed and immediately laid out in jars under airtight lids, until a breathtaking aroma has evaporated.

It is worth considering: jam will be stored longer in dry sterilized jars.

Plum mix

If the rest of the recipes give a golden hue of jam, then when you add the plum, it will turn out scarlet. Magnificent citrus-plum delicacy has a light kumquat aroma and a rich sour-sweet taste with a tart tint.

Ingredients: 0.5 kg of citruses, yellow and red plums, 1 kg of sugar. The fruits are washed, the seeds are removed, cut into half rings and covered with sugar. To get the juice, just wait 2-3 hours. The mass is mixed and put on the stove on a slow fire. Boil in 1 dose, enough 25 minutes. You do not need to cook longer, the plum will turn into porridge. Jam is stored in a cool place.

Kumquat with nuts and raisins

Basis - a traditional recipe with the same proportions and method of preparation. The difference is in the additional ingredient. In a golden-transparent syrup pieces of dark raisins and nuts look very beautiful. They are added in the last 10 minutes of cooking. The secret is that the finished jam should not be eaten immediately. It should stand at least a day so that the raisins and nuts are soaked in syrup.

Jam in the slow cooker

Technical capabilities allow you to cook a dessert with half the norm of sugar. 0.5 kg of sugar and the juice of 3 large oranges are taken per 1 kg of fruit. The ingredients are immediately placed in the bowl. Kumquat can be cooked whole, halves or rings. Cooking time will be 40 minutes in the "Extinguishing" mode.After 20 minutes, mix the contents, checking the degree of readiness, and run the program further until the desired density is reached.

Storage conditions

An important point for determining the terms and conditions is the method of cooking. If the delicacy boiled for no more than 10 minutes, then it will have to be taken out to the cellar or to the cool balcony. An ideal option for such spins is the lower shelf of the refrigerator.

A well-cooked treat in dry-sterilized cans can be left in the pantry at room temperature or placed in a kitchen cabinet, but away from the stove and heating elements.

Interesting Kumquat Facts

Kumquat is an exotic fruit for residents of the European part. It belongs to citrus fruits, but unlike other types it does not require peeling, it is eaten whole. And also kumquat:

• called the food of the sages for the ability to activate the brain;
• considered the smallest of the citrus family;
• appreciated for the ability to cheer up;
• fresh recommended for diet;
• grown at home as an ornamental plant;
• used as an anti-hangover;
• used in cooking, traditional medicine and cosmetology.

Golden orange is gradually becoming not just exotic, but a desirable component for making delicate delicacies of a sunny color. A spoon of jam will bring a good mood and protect you from colds. And this is an important reason to prepare such a dessert for the winter according to any of the proposed recipes.

Photo of kumquat jam