Have you ever eaten a kumquat?

[RPh_Guy]

Sorry if this topic has already been covered a million times.

What I am wondering is, is there any food more sour than these little fruits?

Holy crap. If you eat one, don't plan on tasting anything the rest of the day while your tongue recovers from the chemical burns.

 

[Beer Nuts]

it wasn't ripe.

 

[3qu1n0x]

I tend to agree .. the initial taste should be sour with a sweet finish almost like a good marmalade made from seville oranges

 

[RPh_Guy]

I was wondering about that.

I don't see how people would eat these if they were all like this.
I love sour foods & drinks but I can only eat one of these buggers at a time -- and wow.

Think they'll ripen if I leave them in the fridge for a few days? Should they be at room temp instead?
They're bright orange.

 

[3qu1n0x]

I have a tree ... so normally eat them straight from there

you did eat the skin and inside? Skin is the "sweet" part

 

[jtratcliff]

I also eat them straight from our tree... You definitely need to eat the entire fruit... Skin and all...

I usually rub my thumb over the fruit a couple times to release the oils from the skin, then pop the entire thing in my mouth...

 

[RPh_Guy]

Yep, I ate the whole thing, spitting out the seeds. They're pretty good, just the unbelievable sourness makes them hard to eat.

I just read they don't ripen once picked. Oh well. They look ripe, most are nice bright orange and some are a little yellowish-orange.

 

[passedpawn]

Sorry if this topic has already been covered a million times.

What I am wondering is, is there any food more sour than these little fruits?

Holy crap. If you eat one, don't plan on tasting anything the rest of the day while your tongue recovers from the chemical burns.

I used to have a kumquat tree. Planted it myself. I couldn't find enough uses for it and eventually removed it. I don't remember them being that sour, but maybe a little tart (as a lemon would be). There are different species - the more oval ones, like below, are sweeter. The ones that are perfectly round are more tart.

I made a kumquat wheat beer that turned out great. Also, kumquat marmalade and kumquat sandies (cookies). Those cookies were dynamite, almost worth keeping the tree for

There's a little town just north of me, Dade City, that fancies itself the kumquat city. They have a kumquat parade, and crown the kumquat queen. Yes, The Kumquat Queen.

 

[TwistedGray]

Thinly sliced, add to salad (remove seeds - of course) = yummy!! Also, thinly sliced and added to the top of any fish = yummy!!

The Kumquat Queen

 

[Jayjay1976]

I remember gorging myself on these little things as a child at my grandparent's place in Florida. I couldn't believe such delicious candy grows on trees. I've bought them once or twice from a grocery store and was disappointed, but maybe I'll give them a try in my mandarina DIPA. Might also be awesome in a hefeweizen alongside more mandarina hops.

@passedpawn I'd be interested in some details about your experience brewing with kumquats.

 

[kh54s10]

I haven't tasted one for probably over 45 years.. I remember sour. Like a lemon but a different flavor. It was not overpowering but also not something I wanted as a child I wanted sweet, like in candy.....

Now I am going to have to be on the lookout for some......

 

[Inkleg]

Kumquat is the nickname I call my cats because they’re silly little fruits.

 

[pvpeacock]

Local brewery Smog City makes a kumquat saison that is one of my favorite beers!

 

[pvpeacock]

Interesting back story about Smog City's Kumquat Saison:
https://www.latimes.com/food/dailyd...urce-for-its-kumquat-beer-20150407-story.html

 

[deadwolfbones]

I made a kumquat saison that was also a lot of fun (@RPh_Guy, I saw you read that thread).

When they're ripe they're tart but not overwhelmingly sour. They have a unique flavor you don't get from any other citrus. Love 'em, personally.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Well, I'm not sure why the ones I have are crazy sour. I like sour (I can eat lemons) but these are extreme.

 

[passedpawn]

I remember gorging myself on these little things as a child at my grandparent's place in Florida. I couldn't believe such delicious candy grows on trees. I've bought them once or twice from a grocery store and was disappointed, but maybe I'll give them a try in my mandarina DIPA. Might also be awesome in a hefeweizen alongside more mandarina hops.

@passedpawn I'd be interested in some details about your experience brewing with kumquats.

From my records (Nov 2013), I added 3 oz of kumquat peels to a wheat beer recipe. None of the meat added. See below. I've also made a kiwi wit - in that beer, I did put a lot of whole fruit in.

 

[Jayjay1976]

From my records (Nov 2013), I added 3 oz of kumquat peels to a wheat beer recipe. None of the meat added. See below. I've also made a kiwi wit - in that beer, I did put a lot of whole fruit in.

View attachment 620675

Thanks for the recipe!

 

[passedpawn]

Thanks for the recipe!

Ignore those "SB"s in the ingredient's list. It was my own label to identify the local shop where I got them.

Wheat beers are fun to make if you have fresh fruit around. My neighbor has an orange tree and I used to make a wit with peels from her oranges, then give her bottles of it. She was thrilled

 

[Kickass]

We have a container potted kumquat and I can hardly get one before my wife eats them all. They’re quite tasty, and unique in that the skin is sweet and the flesh is sour. I’ve been contemplating a pale ale with them

 

[FatDragon]

I remember gorging myself on these little things as a child at my grandparent's place in Florida. I couldn't believe such delicious candy grows on trees. I've bought them once or twice from a grocery store and was disappointed, but maybe I'll give them a try in my mandarina DIPA. Might also be awesome in a hefeweizen alongside more mandarina hops.

@passedpawn I'd be interested in some details about your experience brewing with kumquats.

Every kumquat I've ever bought has been bland and disappointing. Straight off the tree, though, they can be delicious if you get them at the right time.

 

[JohnSand]

Kumquat is the nickname I call my cats because they’re silly little fruits.

That's slightly disturbing. Why am I not surprised?