Dancy (citrus)
The Dancy tangerine (zipper-skin tangerine, kid-glove orange) is one of the oldest and formerly most popular American citrus varieties, but is now rarely sold.
| Dancy | |
|---|---|
| Species | Citrus reticulata |
| Cultivar | 'Dancy' |
| Marketing names | zipper-skin tangerine, kid-glove orange |
| Origin | Orange Mills, Florida, United States |
The Dancy originated in 1867, as a seedling grown by Colonel Francis L. Dancy. It was called tangerine because its parent, the Moragne tangerine, was believed to come from Morocco.
It has an intense, medium-sweet flavour, and its juice is more strongly-flavoured than orange juice. It is known (and sometimes named) for its loose, pliable peel, which is mainly orange flavedo, with very little bitter white mesocarp (also called albedo or pith). This allows the peel to be eaten fresh and used to flavour dishes like tangerine beef. The Dancy may be a pure mandarin, unlike many commercial citrus cultivars, which are hybrids.