What are the benefits and effects of kumquat? A detailed guide to how to eat it and where it comes from

During the Spring Festival every year, kumquats are always part of the spread when hosting guests. In different places they also have different names, such as jinzao, jindan, and Mashui kumquat. So do you know how the small kumquat has won people's affection, and what its benefits and effects are? How do you eat it? Where does it come from?

1. What are the benefits and effects of kumquat?

Kumquats are small and delicate, and their golden color makes them very appealing. They are also very nutritious, with components including:

In addition, kumquat has quite a few benefits and effects:

1. Kumquat has the effect of beautifying and protecting the skin and delaying aging: the vitamins contained in kumquat are a major asset for skin care. They can prevent pigment deposition in the skin, make the skin glossy and elastic, and also have a certain effect on preventing skin sagging and wrinkles.

2. Kumquat can promote fluid production, quench thirst, and stimulate appetite: kumquat is usually used as one of the raw materials for dietary therapy and health products, and candied fruit made from kumquat stimulates the appetite, can also make body fluids abundant, and makes our stomach and intestines more comfortable and the spleen and lungs healthier.

3. Kumquat has the effect of reducing phlegm, relieving cough, sobering one up, and relieving depression: kumquat is sweet and warm in nature, and when stewed over high heat with rock sugar, eating it can relieve cough and calm asthma, and it also has a certain effect on bronchitis.

4. Kumquat can improve cold resistance and prevent and treat colds: when you have a cold, you can pour boiling water over scorched kumquats and drink it, or simmer fresh kumquat peel with water and white sugar and drink it.

5. Kumquat can regulate blood pressure, prevent capillary rupture, and ease hardening: kumquat has a certain protective effect on our cardiovascular system and is very suitable for people with conditions such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular hardening.

2. How do you eat kumquat?

1. The simplest and most direct way to eat kumquat is to wash it and eat it raw. This preserves the nutrients from being destroyed to the greatest extent, and when eating it the peel and flesh should be eaten together, because the peel is even richer in nutrients than the flesh.

2. Juice kumquat with other foods: you can juice it with any one of radish, hawthorn, ginger, or lemon. It tastes good and is nutritious too. The only drawback is that it destroys its plant fiber.

3. Make kumquat fruit tea: you can slice fruits such as apple, pineapple, and lemon and put them together with a tea bag in water, bring to a boil, and add some honey as appropriate.

4. Salted (sugared) kumquat: before pickling salted kumquats, wash them clean and dry the moisture in the sun. In a container, place a layer of salt and a layer of kumquats in order. Leave it in a cool place for one year and it is ready to eat.

Before making sugar-preserved kumquats, first soak the washed kumquats in salt water for about ten minutes, then cut a few slits in them, press them flat and remove the seeds, put them in a bowl and sprinkle with granulated sugar. After two or three days, when the granulated sugar has melted into water, you can put it in a pot and simmer until thick and sticky. Wait for it to cool and it is ready to eat.

3. Where does kumquat come from?

1. Kumquat likes sunny, warm, and humid places, so cold places like the north are not very suitable for its growth.

2. Kumquat originated in southern China and is distributed in the Yangtze River basin and warm southern regions. Among them, Guangdong has the most widespread cultivation and is even known as the hometown of kumquat.

Below are reference prices for kumquat in Beijing and the Jiangsu area: