What is a Mandora?

This was the exact question I asked when I saw it in Cold Storage.

What is a Mandora?

Wikipedia spewed out this nugget of information:

The mandora or mandore, also known as the gallizona or gallichon, is a type of 6 or 8-course bass lute (possibly a descendant of guiterne and/or chitarra italiana) used mainly for basso continuo, in Germany, Austria and Bohemia, particularly during the 18th and early 19th centuries.

The Mandora is often mistaken for Mandore, a small 16th- and 17th-century French type of a lute, or mandola

Hmm… not quite what I had in mind when I bought this:

A Mandora is a very expensive kum - mandarin orange from Cyprus. It cost me RM1.60 for just 1 orange!! But its huge. Here’s a picture of it next to a 20 sen coin for comparison.

I googled for more information on the Mandora and found out that its actually a hybrid fruit:

In April 2002, Mr. Cohen finalized his four-year work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to open the U.S. market to Cyprus citrus. Lemons and Mandoras are the primary citrus products he imports from Cyprus. The name Mandora is a synthesis of Mand(-arine) and ora (nge), which it was given after considerable thought about this hybrid of a very high-quality fruit developed by cross-pollination of the two varieties.

According to information provided by Mr. Cohen, a Mandora orange has a rather flat shape and a deep orange color. The pulp is tender and extremely juicy, often exceeding 60 percent of the whole fruit’s weight. The juice is of outstanding color, while the flavor is extremely sweet but well balanced with acidity and has a strong, rich aroma. It does not develop delayed bitterness. Mandoras are imported from January into April.

See how juicy it looks? I had chilled it so it looked and smelt so very inviting. So I separated one slice in great anticipation and put it in my mouth.

OHEFFEFFEFF!! IT WAS FREAKING SOUR!!

It was so sour I could feel the acidity working its way to melting my teeth. It was so sour my stick straight hair could curl! (So Cheesey if you are reading this be careful coz rebonding is expensive eh?) *shudder*

But I’d paid RM1.60 for it remember? Ate it I did. Every single last sour piece of it.

To be fair, it did have a nice taste once I got over the initial sourness of it. And it was extremely juicy. Maybe the batch imported here was not yet ripened when shipped. Would I try it again? Maybe. Some day. When the wallet is feeling more nourished.

Some other Related posts: