Why did I assume dalanghita and dalandan were one and the same? Duhh…
They aren’t, obviously, it seems. :) My first post EVER on marketmanila was this very brief one on dalandan or citrus aurantium (otherwise known as sour oranges or bitter oranges). That was nearly 7 years ago! I went on to write about dalandan juice, a dalandan topiary and a recipe of grilled garlic butter prawns with dalandan juice. And even though I was aware that my mom always seemed to buy “naranjita” the spanish name for dalanghita, I never actually figured out that the two oranges were different. But now I know. Dalanghita or mandarin oranges (that remain green I guess) are citrus nobilis (according to stuartxchange and other web sources), and while a relatively close cousin of citrus aurantium (dalandans), they are different enough. Not sure how much cross-breeding must be going on in the wild… but that’s for a botanist to figure out.
All of this was a result of a conversation with sister a few months ago, where she wondered if making marmalade out of dalandan might work because dalandans are fairly close to seville oranges that produced a nicely bitter and much sought after marmalade. So at the markets last Saturday, I spied some dalanghita and wondered if they would make a good marmalade… I purchased a couple of kilos, went into the kitchen and made a few bottles worth of dalanghita or naranjita marmalade. The jam was good, certainly edible, but not knock-your-socks-off brilliant. It didn’t have enough flavor for me, lacked acidity, and it wasn’t terribly bitter at all. It is THEN that I looked the oranges up and realized I hadn’t used dalandan, which I will try when dalandans are in season in a few months time… As for the bottle of dalanghita/naranjita jam… hmmm, maybe a glaze for chicken or duck or something. :)
32 Responses
Hmmm. I’ve been buying a lot of dalandans lately to make myself some juice but I didn’t think they were different from dalanghita altogether. Imagine that! I just thought what I had been buying were simply imported varieties of dalanghita. Does it mean to say that we can consider the thick skinned variety the dalandan while the smaller ones, with thinner and shiny skins are dalanghitas? :) This is sure to become controversial.
Great first pic! Now my computer’s wallpaper.
Nice shots! It just shows that no matter what, a DSLR has better quality pictures. I myself just recently upgraded from a point and shoot to a DSLR. Still learning the works thru practice but the Nikon D3100 I bought made the transition a lot easier. I think it is the smallest and lightest SLR at present.The kit included an 18-55mm lens but as extra I also bought the 35mm fast lens and it is now my favorite lens as it gives good “bokeh”—you know the blurred background effect. Why not consider a DSLR to replace your G10? I bought mine at Hidalgo St. in Quiapo–camera kit w/bag and the extra lens cost me less than P40T. BTW, if you are not so confident yet with mixing aperture and shutter, with just a flick, the D3100 can act like a point and shoot. I love this camera!
the first pic brings back memories of when I was sick as a kid. often my mom would juice uo these dalandans/dalanghitas for me to drink. i feel better almost always after drinking a tall glass of warm juice. definitely soothes me! :)
MM, your photos are definitely way better with the DSLR.
I always thought Dalandan and Dalanghita were the same too! What about sintunis? I’ve heard that term used on those citrus-y thingies as well.
i agree…your pictures stand out!
Our dalanghita remains green because they are not exposed to acetylene like imported mandarins and clementines. This purely cosmetic marketing ploy is also applied to Sunkist oranges, that’s why they are uniformly orange. In Brazil which is the largest producer of navel and similar oranges, you get them green, just like our dalandan.
Btw, this practice is also resorted to by local mango sellers to make the fruit ready for market in just two days by placing them in a sealable drum with a tray of calboro (calcium carbide) that’s sprinkled with water just before sealing. Calcium carbide plus water releases acetylene.
Would the this be added to the calamansi and mango marmalade?? took some home to sample and the calamansi was interestingly good:-)
Totally off-topic, but Art on the Biggest Loser Philippines reminds me of MarketMan…does anyone else see it or am I hallucinating?
What is the difference between the two? I mean, physically they both look similar…
I bet you they are interchangeable to a lot of people mainly because you need to be really picky to pick up the difference. Picture above shows dalanghita with smooth glossy skin. Dalandan shown in the link looks as though skin is thicker and covered with fine cellulite. More noticeable is the skin closest to the stem tend to jut out into a knob from where the stem itself is attached. As to flavor and taste, most likely to be pretty close. Otherwise we would have distinguished one from the other independent of this post.
Nice photos!
Joyce …haven’t heard sintunes for decades. My Inay used to call the flattened orange ones SINTUNES and the green ones KAHEL. We get the equivalent of dalanghita here using the Thai green oranges…..very sweet!
@Betty Q, our cagel was Sunkist wrapped in tissue that your parents bought for you only when you are gravely ill and has no reasonable expectation of eating it.
ha, ha, ha, Footloose, how true, how true!!
I love the saturation in the first pic.
The last time I hear the word kahel was somewhere between the time of Marcos and Cory.
OMG, Footloose…you brought back memories! I had those kahel and a WHOLE APPLE PIE!
Great picture MM–you should submit it to next weeks BBC’s your photos Day in Pictures. Next week theme is fruit. yourpics@bbc.co.uk
I remember when my little brother was born, and we would run out of milk for his baby feeding bottles, my mom will make him dalandan juice, with all the seeds strained. My baby brother enjoys the dalandan juice using his feeding bottle.
bettyQ: Sintunis or sinturis ?as I used to hear most Batanguenos call it. And I thought Manilenos and city folks and northern Tagalogs called it dalandan which sounds sexier than the folksier name sinturis/sintunis. I never bothered with the nomenclature , only that some are sour, some sweet.
When Batangas used to be the citrus capital of the southern Tagalong region eons ago, I remember my grandfather bringing them as pasalubong bundled like they do garlic. However , I do have bitter memories of a similar fruit when in Granada, at the Alhambra, my husband and I came upon this promenade lined with fruit laden trees bursting in its orange glory. With no one else in sight I just had to sample one. Turned out they were the ornamental variety ( I remember MM featured this ornamental citrus in one of his posts) which was so bitter and sour , we called it the curse of the Alhambra.
Justice served and not a sign needed that says: ” Thank you for not picking the oranges”.
@Connie C, Seville oranges are bitter, Valencia oranges are better.
Footloose: Ha, ha, ha. There you go again!
your photos look great, MM—composition and technical-wise!
mbw et al, “chamba” I would say… :)
Hello! I was also not aware of the difference prior to your post here! :) Thanks for letting us know. We (hubby and I) have been regular readers of your site and truly enjoy your posts (the pictures are very good, too!). I just added you in my blogroll yesterday, hope it is ok. Thank you once again for your very enjoyable posts and here’s to more “yummy” servings from you! God bless! P.s. You might be interested to join the small project I just launched yesterday. I can see that you are someone who loves writing letters and has a natural affinity for plants/trees. The details are in the page “The meiLBOX Project.” :)
I never knew dalanghita and dalandan were two different, albeit similar, things! Another great addition to my MM book of knowledge :-)
Very informative post. Your photos are certainly very good.
MM, this i did not know despite having cared for a Dalandan orchard in Bulacan for several years….
I think “dalanghita” is tagalized “naranjita”–meaning, little “naranjas” (oranges). Wouldn’t know the etymology of “dalandan” though. =)
Wait! I’m so sorry. I absolutely got lost in the post. So if we give a side by side comparison of both the dalandan and dalanghita, what would the differences be? They’re both green skinned citrus fruits, and then what? :)
Or are the differences hardly discernible hence the confusion of almost everyone? :)