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Quorn: Everything You Should Know About The Meat Substitute

Quorn has long been known as a meat substitute in the UK. We’ll show you what’s behind the product and how to use it in the kitchen.

What is Quorn?

Quorn is designed to be as meat-like in consistency as possible. Without additives, it has a relatively neutral taste – with the help of spices and herbs, it is given a spicy, hot or fresh taste, depending on the end product.

The basis of the meat substitute are fermented mushroom threads, so-called mycelium, a special type of sac fungus. For the fermentation, the mushroom is mixed with oxygen and nitrogen as well as a glucose solution and heated. This creates protein. This fungal protein is also known under the name mycoprotein.

Not all Quorn products are vegan. In some Quorn products, egg white is added to the vegetable protein until the mass can be shaped. According to the ingredient list information, the eggs come from free-range chickens. Vegan products contain potato or pea protein instead. Depending on which product is to be created at the end, the protein mixture is also enriched with wheat flour, spices, vitamins, minerals and fats.

Quorn meat substitutes are:

Burger Patties
various nuggets and fillets
Vegetable cold cuts (e.g. ham and sausage substitutes)
shredded
fried sausage
Steaks and schnitzel (e.g. the lemon and pepper schnitzel)
hack

How healthy is Quorn?

Quorn is considered a healthier alternative to meat. It contains no cholesterol, is high in protein and low in fat. The fatty acids it contains are mostly unsaturated fatty acids. These are important for brain function and have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system.

In addition, Quorn products contain more fiber than animal products. These are important for a healthy digestive system because they stimulate the work of the gastrointestinal tract and serve as “food” for our intestinal flora.

The nutritional values ​​of the meat substitute vary depending on which product you use. For example, the vegan Quorn fillets have the following nutritional values ​​per 100 grams:

104 calories
1.4 grams fat (of which 0.3 grams saturated fat)
4.3 grams of carbohydrates
16 grams of protein
5.3 grams of fiber

The vegetarian Quorn steak with pepper offers the following nutritional values ​​per 100 grams:

163 kilocalories
8.6 grams of fat (including 2.4 grams of saturated fat)
5.3 grams of carbohydrates
12.2 grams of protein
8.1 grams of fiber
A disadvantage of Quorn products is that they contain quite a lot of additives. Flavors are added to many products. Some foods also contain colourings, stabilizers or sugar. Also note that many products are not suitable for people with gluten allergies because they contain wheat flour or pure wheat gluten. Some products also contain milk protein and are therefore not lactose-free.

Quorn: That’s how you use it

Depending on the product, you can process Quorn in different ways. You can use steaks and sausages for a barbecue, for example. You can use the vegetarian mince to cook a meatless spaghetti bolognese or a chilli sin carne.

For example, you can serve nuggets and fillets in the classic way with homemade fries, salad and ketchup. Boiled potatoes and Kaiser vegetables make healthier side dishes. When preparing Quorn products, it is best to follow the instructions on the packaging. Usually you can decide whether you want to prepare them in the pan, on the grill or in the oven.

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Food

Cashews: What You Should Know About Cashews

As healthy and tasty as cashew nuts are, there are good reasons why you should take a close look when buying the healthy nuts. You can find out everything you need to know here.

Cashews: No nuts, but kernels

From a botanical point of view, cashew nuts are not nuts: they are the kernels of the cashew tree fruit. This tree, up to 15 meters high, forms pear-shaped, thickened fruit stalks, which are referred to as cashew apples, but are only pseudofruit. Because unlike all other fruits, they do not carry their seeds inside. Instead, the actual fruits of the tree, the kidney-shaped cashew nuts, grow at the lower end of these fruit stalks. Botanically, they belong to stone fruit. The cashew nut, which is about two to three centimeters in size, is then located in the wooden shell of the stone fruit.

The cashew tree belongs to the sumac family and originally comes from Brazil. In the meantime, however, it is also at home in India, Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique. There the cashew apples are traditionally processed into juice, jam or schnapps for the domestic market, while the cashew nuts in particular are prepared for export all over the world.

Small kernels with a lot of power: cashews are so healthy

Cashew nuts are not only popular because of their mild, nutty, slightly buttery aroma and their pleasantly soft yet crunchy consistency. They are also rich in vital substances and nutrients:

Cashew nuts contain a lot of high-quality vegetable protein. There are 18 grams of protein in 100 grams of seeds. Cashew nuts are a very good source of protein, especially for people who do not eat animal proteins.
They contain many unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and can help regulate high cholesterol levels. Compared to other nuts, however, cashew nuts are relatively low in fat and therefore have fewer calories.
Cashews are very good sources of magnesium and phosphorus. Magnesium and phosphorus are important minerals for our muscles, nerves, heart, teeth and bones.
They contain a lot of tryptophan. This is an amino acid from which the body produces the messenger substance serotonin, which is also known colloquially as the happiness hormone. Among other things, it has antidepressant, mood-enhancing, relaxing and sleep-inducing effects.
Cashew nuts have many B vitamins. A lack of B vitamins can result in tiredness, exhaustion and difficulty concentrating.

From the tree to the ready-to-eat cashew nut: a complex process

Cashew nuts are more expensive than many other types of nuts and kernels. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that only one core is formed per cashew apple. On the other hand, harvesting and processing are very complex:

Harvest: When the cashew apples are ripe, they fall to the ground by themselves. However, many cashew farmers do not wait for the ripening time because the fruit that falls from the tree can spoil very quickly. Instead, the cashew apples are picked unripe from the tree. This means that the cashew nuts are also unripe on the market, which affects the quality.
Drying: After harvesting, the cashew nuts are removed from the cashew apples and then dried first. Traditionally, they are laid out in the sun for a few days, but now the majority are mechanically dried at high temperatures.
Roasting: When the cashew nuts are dried, their shell must be cracked open and removed as they contain a toxic oil. The nuts are roasted, which affects the quality depending on the process. Sometimes they are gently dissolved under steam, but mostly exposed to temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius in roasting kettles, which reduces the quality. Cashew nuts in raw food quality are very rare because the processing is much more complex and special.

More than a snack: You can make this with cashews

In view of the problematic background and the poor ecological balance, you should buy cashew nuts as rarely as possible, but then buy them fairly traded and in organic quality. Then cashews are not only a pleasure as a snack between meals, as a topping for salads and as an ingredient in curries:

Vegan cream or milk: To do this, the seeds must first be soaked in water for at least an hour and then mixed or pureed. Depending on how thick you want the result to be, you add more water for a milk alternative and less water for a cream. Of course, the latter cannot be opened, but it is still ideal for garnishing cakes and desserts. You can use the milk to bake, cook or prepare your muesli.
Raw cakes: You can mix or puree a cream from soaked cashew nuts (without the soaking water) and season with lime and liquid sweetness. The cream can be spread on a cake base consisting of a mixture of ground nuts, seeds or seeds and chopped dried fruit. In the tart tin, this cake needs to be frozen in the freezer and thawed before eating. This is how a semi-frozen cashew cake is made.
Vegan cashew cheese or yoghurt: In the supermarket you can now find vegan cheese and yoghurt alternatives that do not contain soy and are based on cashews. This is of course a welcome development for those who do not eat milk or soy. Tip: To reduce waste, you can also make vegan cashew cheese yourself.

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Food

Iron-Rich Foods: 5 Foods You Should Know Aabout

We present five foods containing iron, because: If you want to prevent iron deficiency, you do not necessarily have to resort to chemical preparations.

Iron deficiency can occur, especially during pregnancy and with a vegan or vegetarian diet. However, there are a few foods that are particularly high in iron that can make taking supplements unnecessary.

If you suffer from histamine intolerance, see the last paragraph for some iron-rich foods that are low in histamine.

Foods with a particularly high iron content: legumes

For a long time, legumes were wrongly considered unattractive “poor man’s food”, because they are not only vegan protein suppliers, but also contain a lot of iron.

Whether beans, peas or lentils: there is an immense number of legumes that can be used to conjure up a variety of delicious dishes – for example soups, salads, side dishes or even vegan spreads.

However, since they can also inhibit iron absorption, it is important to take them in an acidic environment or together with vitamin C – for example in combination with vinegar or lemon juice.

Iron-rich breakfast with oatmeal

You can already do something good for your body at breakfast with muesli or breakfast porridge, because oatmeal is also one of the iron-rich foods (according to the US Department of Agriculture: 4.25 milligrams per 100 grams). You can increase the iron content even more if you supplement your muesli with sugar beet syrup or nuts.

Please be careful here too: coffee or black tea inhibit iron absorption. The calcium in milk also makes it difficult for your body to absorb the iron. A glass of orange juice, on the other hand, promotes iron absorption because of the vitamin C it contains. For your iron-rich muesli, this means that you could eat it with orange juice or oat milk.

Nuts and Oilseeds: Foods high in iron

Pumpkin seeds, sesame, pistachios, flaxseed and sunflower seeds are a suitable addition to salads and mueslis – or even on their own as a snack in between. They have the highest iron content of the foods presented here.

Green vegetables – iron-rich food and rich in vitamins

Spinach, broccoli, lamb’s lettuce or arugula provide slightly less iron than the other foods presented. However, they can be absorbed particularly well by the body thanks to the vitamin C contained in the vegetables themselves. In addition, you can eat vegetables in larger quantities without any problems. And finally, it contains many other vitamins and ingredients (e.g. fiber) that are good for your health.

Sugar beet syrup – a sweet source of iron

The dark, viscous sugar beet syrup – also known as molasses – is ideal for baking, as a vegan alternative to honey in muesli or on bread rolls. Just one or two teaspoons have a great effect. Of course you should not overdo it, because too much sugar is not healthy. But as a tasty supplement, this iron-rich food comes highly recommended.

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Food

Recognizing, Picking and Using Miracle Leeks: You Should Know That

Miracle garlic is a relative of wild garlic. He convinces with his strong taste and a healing effect. Here you can find out what you need to look out for and how you can use magic leeks in cold dishes.

Recognizing miracle onions correctly

Miracle garlic, also known as Berlin wild garlic, is a relative of wild garlic. The plant originally comes from the Caucasus region and has spread across Central Europe over the centuries. You can recognize the herb above all by its intense smell, which is strongly reminiscent of onions or garlic.

Visually, the plant is characterized by green, narrow leaves – similar to grass – and white flowers. The leaves have no stalk and grow straight out of the bulb. Overall, the magic onion can grow up to 30 centimeters high. You can tell the herb from wild garlic by its narrow leaves, while real wild garlic has broad leaves.

Caution: Do not confuse the magic leek with the poisonous lily of the valley. In the latter, the leaves grow from a stem. In addition, the strong leek smell is missing.

Finding, gathering and processing Miracle Onions

Miracle leeks bloom from April to May and you can find the plant mainly in river meadows, forests and parks. You can gather the herb in forests. On the other hand, you should leave it near sprayed fields and where there are many dogs and cats.

By the way: You should not cultivate miracle onions in the garden, as the herb can spread quickly and uncontrollably. So it is an invasive neophyte.

Miracle leeks are ideal for cold dishes. The entire plant is edible, i.e. the leaves as well as the flower buds and bulb. You should not heat the plant, otherwise its aroma will be lost. If you can’t use the magic leeks fresh, you can simply freeze them.

Wunderlauch tastes similar to chives or wild garlic, but has a much milder aroma. It is therefore ideal for pesto, herb butter or cream cheese and quark preparations.

Ingredients and healing effects

Miracle leek has many positive effects: It is rich in allicin, essential oils, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial flavonoids and vitamin C. The herb thus has an appetite-stimulating, blood pressure-lowering, cholesterol-lowering and immune-boosting effect.

The herb is also often used to treat digestive problems. Whether raw or processed – the miracle leek has a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract. The sulfur compound allicin, which is also contained in garlic, kills intestinal fungi, among other things. So far there have been no scientific studies on the medical effects of miracle leeks, but the herb probably does no harm.

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Cooking Tips

Freezing Porcini Mushrooms: You Should Pay Attention to This

If you freeze porcini mushrooms, you can make them last much longer. We explain how it works and what you should consider before buying or collecting the mushrooms.

Freezing porcini mushrooms: You should pay attention to this

If you want to freeze porcini mushrooms, they should be fresh. When you buy porcini mushrooms, an organic seal guarantees you organic cultivation that is free of chemical-synthetic pesticides. With your purchase you can also support regional suppliers, such as the farm or organic market in your area.

If you are looking for porcini mushrooms in the forest, you should note that mushroom picking is strictly forbidden in nature reserves. In other forests you are usually allowed to collect for your own use, but find out about it beforehand.

Freezing porcini mushrooms: this is how you do it

If you want to freeze porcini mushrooms, the mushrooms should be in an unprocessed state if possible. This way you can keep them for up to 12 more months by freezing them. We explain in three steps how to freeze raw porcini mushrooms:

Clean mushrooms: First, carefully clean the porcini mushrooms with a cloth or brush. Don’t wash the mushrooms with water at this point, because that way they will go mushy very quickly.
Cut the mushrooms into small pieces: Use a paring knife to remove the stem ends of the porcini mushrooms. Now cut the mushrooms into small pieces. Halve, quarter or slice the mushrooms.
Freezing: Put the porcini mushrooms in an empty screw-top jar and freeze the mushrooms at around minus eighteen degrees.

To use the porcini mushrooms for various mushroom dishes, you can heat the porcini mushrooms while they are frozen. If you let them thaw for a long time, they lose their firm consistency.

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Food

You Should Know These Types of Tea: From Jasmine to Peppermint

Many types of tea can relieve colds or strengthen the immune system. Here you can find out how to prepare the most popular types of tea and how they work.

Tea is considered healthy, warms on cold days and tastes great as iced tea even in summer. No wonder he’s popular all over the world. Over time, countless types of tea have emerged: tea was served either as a traditional drink or as medicine. Ginger, rosehip and many other plants have a beneficial effect.

But most tea comes from the tea plant: Depending on how the tea leaves are processed, we get green, white or black tea.

Many types of tea – many problems

Tea is the ideal drink for a healthy diet: if you don’t sweeten it with sugar or honey, it contains almost no calories. Many parents give their babies unsweetened tea as it is healthier than (fructose) juices.

However, you should find out exactly where your tea comes from. Fair trade tea is rarely available in many supermarkets.

Fair: On many tea plantations, the workers are exploited and receive wages below the subsistence level. Abuse and discrimination are commonplace.
Pesticides: On large tea plantations, synthetic chemical agents are sprayed to kill pests and maximize yields. The soil, the water and the health of the workers suffer from the chemicals. In the end, pesticides are always found in the finished tea.
Toxic Herbs: Many herbal teas are contaminated with weeds. The plants are often accidentally picked at the harvest. Often these are poisonous herbs that are potentially carcinogenic.

Teas with a clear conscience

Jasmine Tea: Good for the immune system
Green tea: A particularly healthy type of tea
Lime blossom tea: Good for colds
Ginger tea: Type of tea against nausea and colds
White tea: Traditional fine tea from gentle production
White tea: Traditional premium tea from gentle productionCaraway tea: Tea against flatulence
Rosehip tea strengthens the immune system
Black tea is popular and has an invigorating effect
Chamomile Tea: For drinking and inhaling
Peppermint tea: remedy for stomach problems

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Food

Eat Pumpkin Raw? Information And What You Should Pay Attention To

Many pumpkin dishes are part of the autumn season. But did you know that you can also eat pumpkin raw?
Pumpkin soup or pumpkin puree are classics, but if you’re looking for more variety, you can also eat pumpkin raw. You can eat many types of pumpkin uncooked without worry, but to be on the safe side, you should still follow a few tips before doing so.

Eating pumpkin raw: when is it safe?

There is a rule of thumb when eating raw pumpkins: edible pumpkins are good raw vegetables, but you should stay away from ornamental pumpkins! Because ornamental gourds contain the bitter substance curcurbitacin, which is toxic even in small amounts and can cause nausea and tachycardia, according to the Federal Center for Nutrition (BZfE). The best way to recognize a decorative pumpkin is that it is much smaller than its grocery store relatives and often a much more striking color and shape. It is also marked as such in the store.

On the other hand, you can eat almost all types of pumpkin available in the supermarket raw without hesitation. According to the BZfE, the toxic curcurbitacin was mostly bred from them by the producers. The following pumpkins taste best in raw recipes:

nutmeg squash
Butternut Squash
Hokkaido pumpkin

Already knew? You can not only eat pumpkin from the shops raw, but sometimes also with the skin! For example, you can save yourself the trouble of peeling the Hokkaido pumpkin before processing it.

Better not to eat pumpkin from the garden raw

While growing your own pumpkins in the garden is a good idea, it’s best not to eat your harvest raw. Because even if you use seeds from which a pumpkin should actually grow, so-called reverse mutations can cause poisonous cucurbitacins to form again in the pumpkin. This crossbreeding is particularly dangerous because you often cannot tell with the naked eye whether the bred pumpkin is poisonous or not.

Incidentally, such a mutation can also occur if you use your own seeds from the previous year. Even with tested organic seeds, there is a risk that your pumpkin will crossbreed with a poisonous ornamental pumpkin that may be growing in your neighbor’s garden. That’s why it’s best to play it safe and only eat pumpkin raw if you bought it from a store.

Eating raw pumpkin: This is how you do the taste test!

A certain residual risk also remains with purchased pumpkins. Before you can safely eat pumpkin raw, you should always do a taste test. In general, only use pumpkins that you bought in a grocery store.

This is how the taste test works with raw pumpkin:

First cut off a small piece of the raw pumpkin. Refrain from seasoning the pumpkin, otherwise you will no longer be able to perceive the pure taste.
Now put the piece of pumpkin in your mouth and see if you notice a bitter taste.
Don’t swallow the gourd, instead spit it out after the test.
If the pumpkin tastes bitter, it may contain harmful bitter substances.
In this case, do not eat the pumpkin raw and do not cook it either! It is better if you dispose of the pumpkin on the compost to be on the safe side.

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Vegetables With Lots of Protein: All Vegans Should Know These

As a source of protein, vegetables with a lot of protein should not be missing in any vegan diet, along with tofu, cereals and nuts. We show you the varieties that can easily cover your daily needs.

To cover their protein requirements, most vegans use nuts or grains such as oats or amaranth and seeds such as flaxseed or pumpkin seeds. Various legumes are also very popular. But there are also other vegetables with a lot of protein.

If you do a lot of sport, it is important to consume enough protein. This is the only way your muscles can regenerate well after extensive training. We show you a summary of the best vegetable protein sources and what else is healthy in them.

Beans and Peas: The ultimate high-protein veggies

The following legumes are vegetables with a lot of protein (unless otherwise stated, the information applies to fresh beans):

Soybeans: 36 g
Pinto beans: 21 g
Chickpeas (dried): 19 g
Edamame (unripe soybean): 12 g
Broad beans: 11 g
Peas (frozen): 6.6 g
Mung bean sprouts: 4-5 g
Snow peas 4 g

Cabbages and green vegetables with lots of protein

Green vegetables with lots of protein:

Kale: 4.5 g
Cress: 4.2 g
Brussels sprouts: 4 g
Broccoli: 3.6g
Artichoke: 3.3 g
Spinach: 2.9 g
Savoy cabbage: 2.8 g

Mushrooms

Oyster mushrooms: 3.5 g
Mushrooms: 3.1 g
Shiitake mushroom: 2.2 g

More veggies with lots of protein

For a balanced diet with lots of plant proteins, it is also worth including the following vegetables with lots of protein in your diet:

Fresh corn: 3.4 g
Sweetcorn (canned): 3.2 g
Parsley root: 2.9 g
Potatoes: 2 g

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Food

Risk of Confusion With The Porcini Mushroom: You Should Pay Attention to This

If you confuse a porcini mushroom with other mushrooms, this is not a problem as there are no poisonous doubles. In this article you will find out which other mushrooms you could confuse the porcini mushroom with.

One of the most popular edible mushrooms is the porcini mushroom, also known as the porcini mushroom. The porcini mushroom belongs to the thick boletus family and lives in root symbiosis with trees. The name spruce boletus, which is common in some places, indicates that the boletus is often found under spruce trees.

There are no poisonous doubles for the porcini mushroom, but it can happen that you confuse it with the common gall boletus and thick-stemmed specimens of the chestnut boletus.

Characteristics of the boletus

The dark brown hat of the porcini can reach a diameter of up to 25 centimeters. The robust, bulbous stem is an average of ten centimeters long and reaches a diameter of two to eight centimeters at the base. In the transition to the cap, the handle is significantly narrower. On the underside of the cap you can see whitish tubes on young porcini mushrooms, which take on a yellow-green color with age.

The porcini has light, firm flesh and tastes pleasantly nutty. Porcini mushrooms do not have a special smell. In older specimens, the pores under the cap are often infested with vermin. Therefore, you should pay attention to this before preparing it in the kitchen and detach the spongy tubes from the cap. The pores hardly change color when pressure is applied.

Boletus mistake: common gall boletus

The common bile boletus belongs to the thick boletus family and is therefore related to the porcini mushroom. Hence the similarities. The common bile boletus is also called bitterling and is not considered an edible mushroom due to its extremely bitter taste. This means that the common bile boletus is not poisonous but inedible.

The most important characteristic, in order not to confuse the common bile boletus with the porcini mushroom, is the color of the pores. The bile boletus has whitish tubes under the brown cap that turn pink with age. The stalk of the bile boletus is slightly darker and veined like a net. The odor of the gallbladder is unpleasant. The flesh has an extremely bitter taste. Therefore, the bile boletus is not popular in the kitchen at all, since a single fungus can spoil the whole dish.

Chestnut boletus vs. porcini

The chestnut boletus also belongs to the thick boletus family and is related to the porcini mushroom. In the vernacular, the chestnut boletus is also called “Marone” because the dark brown hat in the moss looks similar to chestnuts.

The cap of the young chestnut boletus has a hemispherical shape and later becomes irregularly curved. The diameter is up to fifteen centimeters. The whitish tubes, which turn olive yellow when old, are striking and turn blue when pressure is applied. The light flesh also turns blue when you cut the mushroom. This has also earned it the name “blue mushroom”. The stalk, which is shaped like a cylinder, is brownish in color and lighter than the cap and is significantly slimmer than that of the porcini mushroom. The chestnut boletus smells pleasantly slightly sour and is a popular, tasty edible mushroom.

If the pressure point on the tubes and the cutting point on the stem turn blue, it is not a porcini mushroom but a chestnut boletus. You can rule out the additional confusion of the chestnut boletus with the bile boletus by the taste test. Since the chestnut boletus is a tasty edible mushroom, you can harvest it as soon as you have ruled out confusing it with the gall boletus.

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Citrus Fruits: Important Varieties, Effects and What You Should Know

Citrus fruits are popular types of fruit, they taste fresh and are also healthy. In this article you will find out what you should know about lemon, orange and co.

Citrus fruits are among the most commonly grown fruits in the world, according to statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN).

Historically, people first enjoyed the scent and appearance of citrus plants and fruits. For example, in the fourth century BC, at the time of Alexander the Great, essential oils were used as fragrances and medicines. Christopher Columbus also had the fruit, which was not yet edible at the time, in his luggage for America. In the 16th century in Germany, aristocrats and the wealthy had so-called orangeries built, special gardens or greenhouses for citrus plants. The first edible citrus fruits were not cultivated until the 17th century. Due to their high vitamin content, the fruits were particularly popular with seafarers.

What are citrus fruits anyway?

Citrus fruits taste fresh, intense and also contain plenty of water and few calories. They grow on evergreen trees or large shrubs. The growth height of the plants is between five and 25 meters. The flowers of the citrus plants are usually white, the ripe fruits are green, yellow or orange. The size of the fruit also varies depending on the variety and can be between one and 30 centimeters. By the way: From a biological point of view, citrus fruits are a special form of berries (endocarp berries).

Citrus fruits are coated in a layer of wax that primarily serves as protection. The shell consists of two layers: a yellowish to orange and a whitish tissue layer. The outer layer (exocarp) contains essential oils. These give the fruit and the leaves their typically intense smell. The whitish layer (mesocarp) contains pectin, a substance used as a vegetable gelling agent. The pulp inside is divided into columns and covered by thin membranes. These fruit compartments contain juice sacs and seeds.

Citrus fruits are real vitamin C bombs. Vitamin C helps, among other things, to strengthen the immune system and stimulate the metabolism. For example, oranges contain 53 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams of fruit, a lemon 50 milligrams. As a guideline: The German Society for Nutrition sets the daily vitamin C requirement of an adult at 95 to 110 milligrams. Other vitamins and minerals such as folic acid, potassium, calcium or magnesium can also be found in citrus fruits, albeit in small amounts.

Important varieties of citrus fruits

There are said to be around 1,600 types of citrus fruits worldwide. A reference list for citrus varieties drawn up by the UN Economic Commission (UNECE) (with supplements from the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food) provides an overview of numerous varieties on the market. The taste ranges from bitter to sweet to sour. There are different ways of categorizing citrus fruits. One comes from US citrus expert Walter Tennyson Swingle:

Kumquats: Kumquats are small, orange fruits. They taste sweet and sour and are edible with the skin.
Limes: Limes are green, round fruits. They taste sour. Lime juice is often part of mixed drinks.
Tangerines: Tangerines are considered the ultimate winter fruit. They taste sweet and fresh. The mandarin family includes clementines and satsumas. Mandarins have many seeds, clementines almost none.
Oranges: Oranges are big, round and – as the name suggests – orange. They are extremely juicy and sweet. The orange juice squeezed from it is popular. The term orange is common in Northern Germany. The varieties bitter orange or bergamot are also included. The latter is very acidic and is rarely eaten, but rather used as a fragrance.
Grapefruit: Grapefruit are large, usually pear-shaped to rounded fruits. This variety includes pomelo, grapefruit, and pomelos, all of which taste slightly bitter. Incidentally, the pomelo is considered the archetype of many citrus fruits: the orange came from the pomelo and mandarine, and the grapefruit from the pomelo and orange.
Lemons: Lemons can be used in many ways and refine numerous dishes and drinks. They taste refreshingly sour.
Citron: This variety is considered the first citrus plant to be brought to Europe. It tastes rather bitter and is rich in fragrances. When used, the middle skin layer (mesocarp) is mostly used to flavor dishes.

How to use citrus fruits

You can use citrus fruits in many ways. They are mostly eaten raw. You can use both the juice and the peel. Be sure to use organic quality here due to the pesticide contamination. Some uses are:

Zest for refining cakes and pastries
Juice as an addition to water or cocktails
Juice as a refinement for dishes such as soups, cakes, sauces, rice or vegetables
pectin as a gelling agent
Peel and juice as a cleaner: Halved citrus fruit for removing limescale and dirt, such as cleaning stainless steel pots. It is best to do this with half of the fruit that has already been squeezed out so that you do not waste food unnecessarily.

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