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!
How to Eat a Kumquat - The Strangely Counterintuitive Thing to do to Make it as Sweet as Candy!
How to make a kumquat taste sweeter, naturally.
Materials
- kumquats
Tools
- none needed
Instructions
- 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! Easy and delicious!
Want to know the easiest, least messy way to open a pomegranate? Click here!
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Having eaten kumquats my entire 60 years, I find it strange that you refer to kumquats as sour.
Non-ripe kumquats are certainly not as sweet as the ripe fruit, but if allowed to stay on the tree (and the picker learns to tell the ripe fruit from the not quite ripe fruit) they get very sweet.
Granted, I live 300 miles north of your area, but the climate variance isn’t huge.
Out of the 4 kumquat trees I own, only the indio-mandarianquat is predictably sour. The other three are sweet when allowed to tree ripen. (I have a nagami, a meiwa, and a fukushu)
Hi Carl, most people aren’t going to have the luxury of picking kumquats from their trees, but will buy them from a store or perhaps a farmer’s market. Just like other fruit and veg, it won’t be as good as the homegrown variety. The juice is normally sour, however, I agree, when completely ripe it is sweeter.
[…] You may remember my post on how to eat kumquats? […]
Glad to have your discussion on kumquats. I have 2 trees, one is what I would call sweet & I enjoy popping in my mouth & eating all. The other is very sour & have considered taking out. The sweet one produces a round fruit & the sour one is oblong fruit. I will reconsider removing the sour one & trying your eoultion.
Thanks
I have tasted the sweet ones, only once and they are so good! However, the sour kind (that I have) can be used in many ways, too! Here are some recipes I have gathered. Enjoy, Mike!
We have a small Nagami Kumquat tree at our home, and I actually enjoy the sourness of the fruit and not so much the sweetness. That being said, I tried the method list above and squeezed out the seed and juice out and did taste the sweetness. Personally I find the whole enjoyment in eating this fruit is the sourness while my wife is not as much of a fan of the sourness.
Great! Love that you can enjoy the same fruit two different ways, Maneesh! They’re so good for us, too!
I’m delighted to have a small kumquat tree that I keep in my window. I ordered from a company called Lemon Tree. I am from Michigan too. I put it outside in spring and summer and move it inside when cold.
Good for you, Kim! Well worth the effort, I’m sure :)
Just found your post today on Pinterest. Such a cool way of eating this unique fruit! I am asking around my local area if any one has one of these. Thanks for sharing it.
we did that exact thing, but squirted the fruits juice at each other.. what a great memory, about 10 of us, back in the 70’s when kids ran and played outdoors
That’s a great memory, Gary! Too bad more kids aren’t doing more of the same nowadays!
A former university friend, Taiwanese, gave me a bag of (presumably) specially dried kuquats. Maybe completely ripened and sun-dried or something because there isn’t the slightest hint of sourness whatsoever. Just a staggering sweetness and aroma that stays in mouth and nose long, long after you’ve finished.
Oooh, now that sounds wonderful! I have a close Taiwanese friend, I must ask her about this. Thanks, Dan!
Actually. I just eat the seeds and spit out the skin and juice. The seeds are the best part. Sounds crazy but we are all unique.
[…] How to Eat a Kumquat – The Strangely Counterintuitive Thing to do to Make it as Sweet as Candy… […]
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I have been eating kumquats for over 50 years! It was love at first bite for me. The savory contrast of sweet and sour is what hooked me. I always bite the stem end off first and eat that piece first, as sort of a precursor of what is to come. This little hor d’oeuvre tells you what the main course is going to taste like! The tiny bite contains no juice so you know right away whether or not your kumquat is ripe. If it’s sweet, dive in. But if it’s sour, it’s not going to get any better! I usually spit out the seeds as I go. I would never dejuice the kumquat being that if it’s ripe enough, the juice is not that sour, if at all. I have my own tree that produced several dozen the first year and now six years later produces well over 60 pounds worth! I take most of them to work and introduce my coworkers to them. Most have never tasted a kumquat and those that have say mine are the best they have ever tasted to which I would agree…
A Vietnamese coworker takes them and candies them, which was a new treat to me – very tasty! Will have to get the recipe and post it.
You sound like a true kumquat aficionado, Mark! That’s lovely that your tree is so bountiful and you are sharing your love of this little citrus fruit with others! Thank you for your comment (yes, I’ve seen candied kumquats)!
This is like the spoiled picky kindergartner who won’t eat the crust on her peanut butter sandwich. What a pain (and how gross) it is to use your teeth to gnaw off the end, then you have to be next to a sink, otherwise make a mess? Grow up and acquire a taste for a flavor other than sweet. You’ll be a better adult for it.
The same goes for beer. Not everything good has to taste like hawaiian punch, honey.
Your email or site on your address of “yousuck.com” is perfect for you, Ralph! How apropos for a troll. Btw, I hate Hawaiian Punch, darling.
[…] you may know from my previous post on how to eat kumquats, these little pearls of citrus are the opposite of what we’re used to with oranges and […]
I like kumquats but now I really love them. Thank you for your tip. Kumquats in greece are known only as liqueur, especially in Corfu island.
Someone wrote to me about that liqueur once! So glad you like them better now! :)
Nowv here is some i discovered at the beach yesterday. .. you’ve heard of beer with a twist of lime/lemon…well try it with a kumquat. .. so good!
I believe you, Dolores! Very good idea! I always say I wish I liked beer as it looks so refreshing, but alas, I do not even like the smell :( I know, feel sorry for me! haha! Thanks for the tip! CC
I’m sharing this! Wonderful. Thanks Christina.
Brilliant. Only going to prove one can learn something new every day. Thanks
That is a great tip, thank you. I bought some yesterday and was quite dissapointed with their sour inside, so I ate just the skin. But with your method I get a bit more eating from each. :) There is also a sweeter variety -Meiwa, which is less common. If I would plant one, I would plant that one.
Glad you found the info, it does make a big difference in taste. I didn’t know there is a sweeter variety; thanks for letting me know. :) CC
Brilliant!
;)
Wow Christina, I did not know that… what a delicious little tidbit of information xox
We lvoe kumquats and have never hear this – I am heading outside right now to try it! ~ David
Love it! :)
I never liked kumquats, but will try this and see if I change my mind. How lucky you are to have citrus tree’s. I guess thats one of the perks of living in sunny CA.
Definitely one of the perks! I hope you like kumquats after squeezing out the juice…it’s all it took to change my mind ;)
I’ve never eaten a kumquat – but I do see them occasionally. I’m intrigued. But I do have a pomegranate tree…..
Me too! Pomegranates are my most favorite fruit! CC
I don’t think I ever have tasted kumquat. I wouldn’t even know how to pronounce it.. :/
Hi Christina, You are a treasure of information today. I had no idea! A very strange little fruit. Never had one, I was told that they are very sour. I do have a question? The photos you show are always fantastic, but my question is after you squeeze out the juice, do you peel them, or can you just eat them with the skin? You mentioned that you just pop them in your mouth, and I do not see a photo of you peeling the skin off. I will have to try these little fruits next time I visit the market. Thank you as always for sharing your knowledge…Have a blessed day! Dottie :)
Yes, Dottie! Eat the WHOLE thing, skin and all! The skin is sweet and juice is sour…isn’t that shocking? I don’t know how popular they are on the east coast, but I hope you can find them! Thanks for stopping by! CC xx
Thanks, that is amazing…You would never have thought to eat the skin too! I have seen them in the stores at one point or another. But they are really not that popular here on Long Island, NY that I know of. Now I will be looking for them. Have a good day! Dottie :)
Wow, I had no idea. Nice post :)
Thanks, Janette! ;)