how can a combo of a strawberry and orange flavor be so grody?

April 2, 2011 4:54 PM

Citrus filter - what kind of bizarre orange (tangerine?) did i just eat - and hate? I swear it said "strawberry tangerine" on the sign at the farmer's market...

Googling doesnt turn up anything but information on weed strains. Was this some late April Fool's Day prank by the farmer? It was a pink flesh, and the inside of the tangerine rind was pinkish as well. From the outside, it looked like a normal tangerine or tangelo.

posted by fillsthepews to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

Pomelos are pinkish inside, I think, and kind of bitter if you are expecting an orange. But they are much bigger than most tangerines.
posted by lollusc at 5:12 PM on April 2, 2011

Ugli fruit can be pink, but it's usually larger than a tangerine.
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:15 PM on April 2, 2011

It wasn't a blood orange, was it? They're much smaller than a navel orange, and the outside texture can vary quite a bit. The flesh also often ends up a more pinkish orange than deep red at times.
posted by raztaj at 5:19 PM on April 2, 2011

I've had kinnow tangerines (scroll to the bottom) that have been as red as the one in that pic.
posted by TungstenChef at 5:21 PM on April 2, 2011

Also, it's kinnow season right now, they're one of the latest tangerines to ripen.
posted by TungstenChef at 5:22 PM on April 2, 2011

What was the flavor like compared to your typical tangerine or orange? Sweeter? More bitter? Cara cara oranges are pink on the inside.
posted by wondermouse at 5:26 PM on April 2, 2011

Response by poster: It was not a blood orange for sure. Love those things. It was a much milder color, even more mild than the picture that wondermouse or TungstenChef linked to. Tastewise, it was not bitter or anything. It was a cloying sweetness mixed with like...almost a muted, vitamin flavor. Like I said - not tasty at all. Part of the reason I'm curious is that I found the taste so revolting. I was super duper surprised. the corpse in the library - I saw your uglifruit link, and while I'm curious, it was not those. Size-wise, it was smaller and more compact than the tangelos I bought from the same farmer. I'll be stopping by his stall next week!
posted by fillsthepews at 11:49 PM on April 2, 2011

Injecting various flavored fluids into fruit was a thing recently at farmer's markets. If the syringe is small enough you can't see the mark. I was reading about some horror called a Grapple, which was an apple injected with grape juice, but I see no reason that you couldn't apply the same technology to get a Strangerine.
posted by Protocols of the Elders of Sockpuppetry at 12:13 AM on April 3, 2011

Response by poster: Strangerine! Hah! Love it. Grapples can be found in my local grocery store, and are too scary for words. They dont smell like grapes... they smell like "grape flavor®."

Thanks to everyone for their input. Will report back next Saturday with confirmation!
posted by fillsthepews at 10:53 AM on April 3, 2011