Tangerines Vs. Oranges

Many people believe that tangerines and oranges are the same fruits. This however is not true at all. There is only one similarity between them and that is, both of them are citrus fruits.

Although both of them belong to the same plant family (Tangerines being a variety of Mandarin Orange), yet when it comes to their shape or their taste or even smell, they are quite different. In fact the difference between them starts to show even before they actually grow! If you look at both the trees, they look totally different from each other.

Orange trees usually grow to around thirty feet in height and have evergreen leaves on them. On the other hand tangerine trees are much smaller, around twenty feet in height, and have shinier leaves and flowers, which have a very strong odor.

To have an in-depth understanding on the difference between these fruits, let us compare them on various counts such as size, nutrition, taste, acidic value, etc.

It is believed that tangerines originated and were first grown in two Asian countries, namely, Japan and China. It is also believed that China, Japan, and Uganda have been growing and cultivating this citrus fruit for over two thousand to three thousand years. On the other hand, oranges are believed to have been originated in the south-east Asian countries of India, Vietnam, and southern China.

Of the two, tangerines are smaller in size. In fact it is due to their small size and rinds which can be removed very easily, that many people prefer to carry these fruits along with them as emergency food.

The rind of the orange is very hard and not easily removable, when compared to that of a tangerine. When it comes to the segments within the peel, those of a tangerine can be separated more easily. Oranges have very few seeds in them. Tangerines, however, are full of seeds.

Oranges have a sweet and somewhat sour taste. On the other hand, tangerines are not as sour and they are more tart-like in taste.

Oranges have a higher acidic value. It could probably be due to the size, since they are bigger in size, their acidic value is greater too. On an average, a single orange's pH value is anywhere between 2.4 to 3.

The nutritional value of these fruits varies too. Hundred grams of tangerine consist of 13.34g of carbohydrates while oranges consist 11.54g of carbohydrates. The sugar and fat content for tangerines per hundred grams is around 10.58g and 0.31g respectively. While for oranges, sugar is 9.14g and fats are 0.21g. The protein content too differs, with tangerines having 0.81g of proteins and oranges 0.70g of proteins, per hundred grams.

If you compare values on the vitamins and nutrients that they contain, then you will find that both of them are extremely healthy for the body. Oranges have a good amount of vitamins A, B, and C in them, besides being rich in potassium, calcium, phosphorus, fibers, folic acid, iron, sodium, magnesium, and sulfur. Tangerines themselves are a good source of folate, beta carotene, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin B. So, for a healthy body, it is recommended to include both these citrus fruits in the diet.