For some reason, I have a goldfish-like memory when it comes to fruit and produce seasons. So every year, I am shocked all over again when fruits come in and out of season. From October to January, we are all blessed to receive one of the greatest fruits to ever exist, the destroyer of oranges, the breaker of dryness, the bringer of sweetness, the clementine.
The clementine was originally discovered in Algeria in the late 1800s. The first appearance of the fruit was formally recorded in the backyard of a French missionary-run orphanage in Misserghin. Marie-Clément Rodier, a missionary at the orphanage, had been working and experimenting with the citrus trees surrounding his workplace.
Rodier made grafts out of some of the uncultivated trees, which would eventually result in the birth of the clementine. His version had no seeds, and was intriguing to many since it had come from neither a mandarin tree nor an orange tree and had a delicious taste. The fruit was named after him in 1902, and he would die just 2 years later in 1904. Whether he actually invented the fruit or if it was the stolen labor of a native Algerian, we might never know.
Since then, the clementine has expanded internationally, with 32.8 million tons produced annually in 2016. Many varieties have also emerged since then, with major producers including China, Spain, Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, and Italy.
The clementine would then come to be realized as a citrus fruit hybrid between mandarin orange and sweet orange, with its species declared to be Citrus × clementina.
But let’s move beyond its history and into the everyday experience of the clementine. In my opinion, it is the greatest fruit one could have. Perfect for any occasion and any time, it is really hard to ever turn down.
Imagine this, you’ve just had a greasy meaty meal, how do you wash that all down? Just grab a few pairs of clementine, peel them with your hands and there you are. The perfect aftertaste. Say it’s the morning and you want a sweet, but not too sweet, way to kick off your day, pair your sandwich with a few clementines and your day will start just right.
It comes in perfectly consumable slices, but sometimes it feels like an affront to the beauty and power of nature and life on this planet to consume it. When you think of the millions of different ecosystems and elements that came together to create this wonderful fruit, the reality of the world does become a daunting miracle.
At the start of this new year, just sit back, take a breath, and admire the beauty that lies in the most ordinary, admire the behemoth combination of nature and labor that have produced the world we know today.
If clementines had a billion fans, I would be one. If they had a million fans, I would be there. If they had a thousand fans, I would proudly declare. If they had one fan, they would get my most beloved stare. If they had no fans, I would have been long put out of my despair.
