madarini

Tangerine or mandarin, a symbol of longevity, that ripens in Greece in November and December. Originally from China, the fruit reached Greece in the 1830s, and as elsewhere took its namea from the orange garments of the mandarins, or so they say.

The Μανταρίνι Χίου are the best and most intensely fragrant in Greece, and most grow in the beautiful walled orchards of the old aristocratic Genoese neighbourhood Kambos on Chios. They are sold wrapped in paper to preserve their famous perfume. The island's superb, taste-packed Liqueur Madarini made of essential oils extracted from the peel.