Kumquat is not the most familiar product on our table. Many may not even know what it is. Fresh, these fruits, unfortunately, are very rare on the shelves of domestic supermarkets (although, if desired, you can still get them), but in dried form, this fruit is becoming increasingly popular.
What it is
Under the incomprehensible name "Kumquat" hides a plant of the genus Citrus. It is also known as “Chinese apple”, “Chinese mandarin”, “Japanese quince”, “Japanese orange”, “golden orange”, “fairy-bean”, “Kinkan”, “Fortunella” (the latter, however, is the Latin name of the genus plants).
The homeland of these tiny, only a few centimeters in diameter, similar to small plums, golden-orange fruits, as you might guess from one of the names, is China, more precisely, its southern part, Guangdong province.
Did you know? The origin of the name "kumquat" or "cumquat" is not known for sure, however, according to the generally accepted version, it comes from the well-known Asian name Сhin Khan (perhaps some tourists know a popular hotel in Tunisia with that name). Perhaps the most famous person in history with this surname is Chin Timur Khan (Chin Timur Khan), a general of the Empire of the Great Mongols, who lived in the first quarter of the 16th century. Translated from the Japanese "kin kan" means the same "golden orange".
However, besides China, Fortunella also grows on the islands of Japan, in the countries of Southeast Asia, on the Greek island of Corfu and some other regions of Southern Europe, in Australia, South America, and also in the south of the United States (in particular, the state of Florida). 
Kumquat is an unusual fruit. It smells like lime, has a sour taste, resembling the taste of tangerine, but its peel, on the contrary, is sweet with a slight bitterness, so they consume the whole fruit, not peeling. Moreover, some manage to eat only the peel, and sour flesh mercilessly throw out.
Important! Kumquat is the only citrus fruit with unmistakably edible peel. Although followers of the Swiss doctor Maximilian Birher-Benner, who is considered the author of the idea of raw food, and promote the use of the skin and seeds of all fruits and vegetables without exception, but this position is not unambiguous. In the kinkan, the rind is perhaps the most delicious!
In our country, kumquat today is more common as a houseplant than as a food product, but, as already mentioned, exotic Chinese apples are gradually beginning to win the domestic consumer, so far, however, mostly in dried form.
Moreover, after such processing, the product looks very similar to the well-known dried apricots.
Calorie and chemical composition
Kumquat is considered a low-calorie product, however, it is a question of fresh fruit. One hundred grams of golden oranges contains only 71 kcal, while the caloric content of a dried kinkan is exactly four times higher - 284 kcal per 100 g. 
Energy value of the product (the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates):
- proteins - 1.88 g, 8 kcal, 11%;
- fats - 1.86 g, 8 kcal, 11%;
- carbohydrates - 9.4 g, 38 kcal, 53%.
The beneficial properties of kumquat are determined by its rich vitamin and mineral composition.
Vitamins present in the product:
- ascorbic acid (vitamin C);
- carotene (provitamin A);
- tocopherol (vitamin E);
- thiamine (vitamin B1);
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2);
- Niacin equivalent (vitamin PP or B3);
- choline (vitamin B4);
- pantothenic acid (vitamin B5);
- pyridoxine (vitamin B6);
- folic acid (vitamin B9).
Learn more about the beneficial properties of exotic fruits such as kivano, guava, longan, papaya, lychee, pineapple.The mineral substances that make up dried kumquat are potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, phosphorus, copper, zinc and manganese.
In addition, pectins, natural enzymes, furocoumarins, lutein pigment, antioxidants, saturated fatty acids, monosaccharides, disaccharides, cellulose, ash, and essential oils are present in dried fruits.How useful dried kumquat
The above chemical composition makes dried kumquat an extremely valuable product that allows you to replenish body reserves with a whole complex of vitamins and minerals necessary for normal functioning of all organs and systems.
Did you know? The Chinese use kumquat just as we use raspberries. Grinded with sugar and rolled into jars, it can be stored without losing its healing properties for several years. When we feel the cold approaching, we open a jar of raspberry jam given by the grandmother from the village, and the Chinese removes the kinkan jam from their stocks.Usually, when speaking about the benefits of citrus fruits, we first of all recall vitamin C. And it’s not in vain. In kumquat, ascorbic acid, by the way, is even more than in lemon.
Important! Vitamin C, as it is known, decomposes during heat treatment, but it is a question of temperatures above 80 degrees. Proper drying takes place at lower temperatures, and, therefore, allows you to save this most valuable substance. However, excessively long contact with air is also detrimental for ascorbic acid, therefore infrared drying, combining a fairly high speed and moderate temperature, is considered the best technology. Thus, high-quality dried kumquat retains a very high concentration of vitamin C.
Ascorbic acid is a powerful natural antioxidant, thus, dried kinkan is an excellent means for improving immunity, especially necessary for maintaining an organism that has undergone bacterial or viral infections.
The strongest anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, and antifungal properties, in addition to vitamin C, have another substance that is part of the Japanese orange - furocumarin.
In addition, dried or dried kumquat is very useful for stabilizing the gastrointestinal tract, improving the secretion of gastric juice, preventing ulcers and gastritis and normalizing bowel functions, mainly due to dietary fibers, natural enzymes, and minerals necessary for the body. Also kinkan has a positive effect on metabolism. 
These dried fruits have a beneficial effect on our nervous system. Their use even in small quantities allows you to get rid of depression, relieve irritability and fatigue, to overcome the detrimental effects of constant stress.
From such a delicacy, the mood rises, internal reserves are mobilized and there is a desire to "move mountains".
Did you know? If after a stormy party in the morning you suffer a heavy hangover, a glass of pickle or ... dried kumquat will help to improve your health!
Japanese orange is a real savior for modern man, especially living in polluted industrial areas and cities with poor ecology.
This product removes harmful substances from our bodies, salts of heavy metals, radionuclides and other toxins, as well as "bad cholesterol", which is the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis, etc.
Interestingly, nitrates do not accumulate the fruit of the Japanese orange. 
Important! Dried kumquat is extremely beneficial by itself, however, its healing properties increase many-fold if you use dried fruits together with other dried fruits, in particular, dried apricots and prunes. Such a mix, among other things, activates the brain, enhances attention and improves memory, so it is very useful for students during the session and schoolchildren before the responsible exams.
It is not surprising that such a rich list of useful properties of dried kumquat (which could be continued for a long time) has long attracted the attention of traditional healers, cosmetologists and chefs of many countries and continents to this product.
Application in medicine and cosmetology
Dried kinkan fruits are a proven remedy for colds, flu, and other acute respiratory viral infections. The essential oils contained in them reduce the runny nose and relieve coughing.
Oriental healers for these purposes apply inhalation from dried peel of Chinese apples, boiled with boiling water.
The antibacterial properties of the dried kinkan rind are also used in another way: just laid out in the room where the patient is. And if there is a source of heat nearby, the effect of such passive treatment increases many times. 
To strengthen the immune system, stabilize the bowels, raise the mood, strengthen the blood vessels, restore heart rate and clean the body of "slags", traditional healers recommend eating six to eight dried Chinese apples in the morning.
Tibetan lofant, Zheleznitsa Crimean, dog rose, cornel, viburnum, amaranth thrown back - also have a positive effect on human immunity.In addition to the above results, such a natural dietary supplement is also exceptionally good for the eyes: it certainly does not improve vision, but the preventive effect will be, which is especially important for people who spend many hours a day near the computer screen.
Firming course lasts two weeks, after that it is worth taking a short break. By the way, for the stomach, intestines and sore throat, it is better to use dried citrus fruits, because, unlike fresh ones, they do not irritate the mucous membrane and, thus, act much softer.
You can make honey tincture with dried kumquat. To do this, use the following recipe. A dozen dry fruits are selected, each of them makes several cuts in a random order with a sharp knife (this is necessary in order to ensure maximum extraction of useful substances from the fruit), then the kumquat is placed in a glass container. 
Purified ginger root is added there (about 50 g, however, the proportion is not strict), as well as 500 ml of honey and vodka. Cover the container, shake well, so that the components are mixed, and put in the fridge for three months.
This tincture is used as a vitamin and tonic supplement, as a means to reduce pressure and improve the performance of the gastrointestinal tract (in the absence of contraindications).
Drink the drug should be taken before meals three times a day, a tablespoon. For the treatment of cough, the application is different: the tincture is slightly heated and drunk at night in small sips (100 ml).
To remove bad cholesterol from the body and lower the upper blood pressure indicator, it is recommended to take a tablespoon of a mixture of dried fruits of kumquat, viburnum, hawthorn and elderberry ground with sugar three times a day.
This tool will also help strengthen blood vessels and heart muscle, restore heart rate, cleanse the body of harmful substances. 
Dried kumquat found its application in cosmetology. In order to preserve the freshness, elasticity and youthfulness of the skin, as well as to improve the complexion, some Japanese women wash daily with tincture of such fruits (in order not to destroy ascorbic acid, they are simply poured with warm water and allowed to infuse for several hours).
Such toning procedures even help to cope with premature wrinkles at an early stage of their appearance.
In cosmetology also often used: periwinkle, linden, yasenets, bird cherry, purslane, savory, peony, marsh mallow, parsnip, nettle, borage, momordika, meadow cornflower, lovage, rosemary.Chinese apples also have the properties to whiten the skin, remove pigment spots and freckles, but for such purposes, fresh juice of these fruits is more effective, they are usually not used in dried form.
But dried kumquat pelts are a great base for aromatic baths. 
How to choose when buying
Properly dried Kumkat, without dyes and other "improvers", does not look very bright and presentable. Appetizing, as from the picture, orange, yellow, red and even green fruits with the name "dried kumquat" - the result of chemical processing.
The same, by the way, concerns familiar dried apricots, which looks beautiful, is expensive, but already has little in common with natural apricots.
Important! The pale color of dried kinkan indicates the high quality of the product.
If the color of the fruit is uneven, on their surface there are even the slightest divorces, bald spots and other oddities - these are also traces of painting, and inaccurate.
Having decided on the color, smell the product before buying it. You may not know how fresh kumquat smells, but the smell of lime or at least lemon or orange is exactly familiar to you.
It is about these fruits that dried Chinese apples should remind you. If a light mint note is mixed with the citrus scent, this is normal, but no other smells, much less chemical and unnatural, should not be produced! 
How to store at home
It is best to store purchased or self-made dried fruit in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid.
If the air in the storage room is dry enough, you can also use canvas or paper bags, but this option is still less preferred. The shelf life of dried kumquat is not more than 12 months.
Important! If the packaging of the product indicates a longer shelf life, it is obvious that the manufacturer added preservatives, stabilizers and other "chemicals" to the fruit. Useful properties of such dried fruits cause great doubts, therefore it is best to refuse the purchase.
In order to preserve the dried kumquat with all its healing qualities as best you can, if you are not ready to consume the product over the next few months, it is recommended to keep a container of dried fruits in a refrigerator on a shelf designed for vegetables. 
Where add
Traditional medicine, of course, has found the use of the useful qualities of dried kumquat, but nevertheless this product is more often used not as a medicine, but as a delicacy or an ingredient in exquisite culinary dishes (however, such an additive and quite ordinary lunch can turn into a real feast for stomach).
Did you know? The popularity of kumquat attracted the attention of breeders. As a result of crossing this tree with other citrus fruits, hybridization masterpieces such as cumandarin, limonquat and limequat were obtained.
The main "highlight" of Japanese orange - the above-mentioned combination of sour pulp and sweet peel - could not be appreciated by the chefs from different countries.
In countries where these fruits grow or are sold, they are decorated with snacks, salads, added to alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails, mulled wine and other dishes and drinks, used as an appetizer for strong drinks.
But also dried kumquat can be used in the same way. It is good to add it to the baking stuffing, by the way, it creates a wonderful "ensemble" with a pumpkin.
From it, as well as from other dried fruits, you can cook compote or jelly, and, thanks to the high calorie content of dried fruits, such a tasty drink will charge your child with energy for a long time. 
Acid and sweetness at the same time is what you need to make sweet and sour sauces for meat, vegetables and fish. In some countries, kumquat to the main dish is served not even in the form of a sauce, but simply in the form of a sweet and sour side dish.
And, of course, dried citrus fruits are unique as an additive in desserts, curds and yoghurts, jams, jams, confitures and other dishes for sweet teeth.
And these dried fruits can be simply added to tea, both in black and in green. The result is a very aromatic and enriched with vitamins drink!
Contraindications and harm
We have talked a lot about the benefits of dried kumquat. If you exercise common sense and do not abuse these sweet and sour fruits, they really are a very valuable product.
However, there are situations when it is necessary to limit yourself in such a dish so that it does not harm your health and the health of your loved ones.
First of all, it should be remembered that we are talking about citrus fruits, and all of them are allergenic to some extent.
If you know for sure that you are allergic to, say, oranges, most likely, after eating a kinkan, you will experience the same adverse reaction.
Try to eat a small piece first and make sure that you feel normal before you get acquainted with the new exotic product "in full". 
Important! Due to the high allergenicity of kumquat is also contraindicated during pregnancy, it should not be used by nursing mothers and given to children under three years of age.
Another risk group - people with kidney problems or diseases of the gastrointestinal tract on the background of increased acidity of gastric juice. Dried Japanese oranges can cause deterioration.
Above, we mentioned that low-calorie is fresh kinkan, in its dried form the product is rich in carbohydrates and does not apply to dietary products. If there is a tendency to overweight, such dried fruits can be consumed only in small quantities, in the morning and with great care.
For the same reasons, you should consult with your doctor before including dried kumquat in people with diabetes.
Otherwise, it is safe to say that Katai apples or Japanese oranges, both fresh and dried, have no contraindications and can decorate any table. Dried fruits are a great source of vitamins and minerals during the cold season. Be sure to enrich your reserves of such products with dried kumquat: it is very useful, tasty and unusual.
Thus, you can protect yourself and your family from many ailments, and enrich your favorite dishes with new exotic notes!
