How to eat a kumquat. I’ll tell you one simple thing to do so that your little citrus fruit tastes much sweeter! And yes, you do eat the skin!

Do you like kumquats? Do you know how to eat a kumquat?

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Maybe I should back up and make sure you know what kumquats are? I had never heard of them or tried one before I had lived in California for many years, and when I did, I must say I wasn’t fond of them.

What is a Kumquat?

Kumquats are tiny oblong shaped citrus fruits with a rather thick skin, considering how small the they are. They have a bit of sweetness to them, but the flavor is overwhelmingly sour.

They are great when used for marmalade, lots of citrus dishes, and even liqueurs and cocktails.

I thought I knew how to eat a kumquat, however, there’s a secret to eating fresh kumquats, which I had never heard of, but it makes all the difference in how they taste.

11 Kumquat Recipes from Breakfast to Cocktails

A couple of years ago, a friend explained to me that in Taiwan they do one simple thing (which is rather counterintuitive to do at first, or at least it was to me) and immediately, the kumquat becomes so incredibly sweet! No, adding sugar or a sweetener is not the trick.

Are you on the edge of your seat?

Here’s the secret: squeeze out the juice! Yes! Believe it or not, a kumquat is completely the opposite of most citrus fruit: the juice is sour and the skin is sweet!

Isn’t that strange? Not only does this make the kumquat sweeter, but (as Hillary at Epicurus Gourmet pointed out), it also gets rid of the seeds! Now that I am the owner of a gorgeous kumquat tree, when I eat the fruit, I nibble the top part of the kumquat, squeeze out the juice, and pop the rest of it into my mouth.

It is truly as sweet as candy! I have told several other friends who have been just as amazed as I was, but so pleasantly surprised. Also, they have very little juice, so it’s not really being wasteful.

If you have tried kumquats in the past and turned your nose up to them, I hope you’ll give them another chance. And if you have never tasted them, don’t forget to try this method. Kumquats are not only delicious, but they are very good for you! Share this with others who may not know how to eat a kumquat, too!

How to Eat a Kumquat (So that it tastes sweeter!)

After washing your kumquat, nibble off the skin at the top.

Now squeeze the juice out from the top of the fruit.

Pop the kumquat into your mouth and enjoy the sweet flavor, without any of the sour taste of the juice! Now you know how to eat a kumquat!

Yield: n/a