Citrus varieties for marmalade

[gordonh1]

I know that Seville oranges are traditionally used for marmalade, but for the modern Citrus explorer who might have a collection or be building a collection of interesting varieties of Citrus, what can be said of the qualities of various Citrus for marmalade?

I understand that sourness likely contributes to the complexity of flavor. Do you make marmalade with Calamondin oranges? And Seville oranges have bitterness, which some people like, but many other varieties also have bitterness. What varieties have you tried using other than the more obvious ones? What about unusual varieties that are sour and/or bitter, such as Nansho daidai? What about cold-hardy varieties, such as Poncirus hybrids?

[gordonh1]

Taiwanese jam wins accolades at UK marmalade fest:
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/03/29/2003796935

"... praised the company’s sour orange marmalade infused with honey extracted from the flowers of longan fruit, saying that the jam was “breathtaking” and “filled with balanced yet layered flavors.”

Nansho Daidai sour oranges are an endangered strain of citrus that have been a focus of the Forestry Bureau’s restoration program since 2021."

[gordonh1]

The Marmalade Lady of Osakishimojima Island
https://www.oishisojapan.com/home/2019/03/21/marmalade-lady-of-osakishimojima-island

 "She uses the wide range of citrus—dekopon, amanatsu, haruka, ponkan, lemon, and others—that she grows in her home garden in the tiny village of Kubi on the southern side of Osakishimojima and at small orchards scattered in the mountains closer to the coast."

[gordonh1]

Yuzu marmalade
https://www.chopstickchronicles.com/yuzu-marmalade/

"The key point in making yuzu marmalade without the bitter pungent taste is to remove as much of the white part of the skin as you can. Also remember to repeat the boil, simmer and discarding of the cooking water process three times to remove the bitter taste."

"Don’t discard the seeds as they contain pectin which will thicken the marmalade."

So it seems some varieties might benefit from specific preparation techniques customized to the specific properties of that variety.

[gordonh1]

One more Japanese marmalade to consider, it is called Yuzuya Daidai marmalade. I don't know this variety... is it an immature Yuzu or a different type of Citrus?

https://anything-from-japan.com/yuzuya-daidai-marmelade160g

[Daintree]

I made calamondin marmalade once, and never again! A tiny fruit, but it has several large seeds. Took forever to prepare the fruit. I did have a bunch of Meyer lemons this spring so I made meyer lemon/ginger marmalade, and that was really good.

[gordonh1]

Ease of preparation definitely counts as a factor in choosing varieties for marmalade.

Here are the factors that I know may be important:

Sweetness - not necessary, since a sweetener can be added.
Sourness - important flavor consideration
Bitterness - possible/traditional flavor consideration
Other flavor components - makes the marmalade from some varieties unique and special
Color - may be important, especially if marketed
Pectin content - important for jelling behavior, can be added if variety doesn't have enough, but convenient if it has enough
Preparation considerations such as - what parts are used, what parts are to be discarded,  how difficult is the preparation overall, what special treatments may be required or may be helpful (such as boiling and discarding water to remove bitterness as in the Yuzu recipe).

[bussone]

I know that Seville oranges are traditionally used for marmalade, but for the modern Citrus explorer who might have a collection or be building a collection of interesting varieties of Citrus, what can be said of the qualities of various Citrus for marmalade?

I understand that sourness likely contributes to the complexity of flavor. Do you make marmalade with Calamondin oranges? And Seville oranges have bitterness, which some people like, but many other varieties also have bitterness. What varieties have you tried using other than the more obvious ones? What about unusual varieties that are sour and/or bitter, such as Nansho daidai? What about cold-hardy varieties, such as Poncirus hybrids?

I've used poncirus in marmalades and as a flavorant of gin. It somewhat goes without saying that it's not nearly as good as Seville; however, I find that other oranges also do not offer the fundamental 'orangeyness' that Sevilles offer.

I've dabbled with a few kinds -- Seville/sour orange is far and away the best, and it's mostly the rind that does the heavy lifting. The juice itself is extremely acidic and somewhat one-note. It tastes like orange juice that has gone off.

Orange gin made from Seville is wonderful and immediately distinctive. It positively bursts with an unmistakable odor of oranges.

Blood orange (Moro, maybe?) makes for a disappointing gin. It's just bland. Ugli fruit were more interesting. Poncirus was distinctive; the flavor is okay and the odor reminds of Lemon Pledge. The ethanol in gin basically denatures the resinous flavors effectively, and buries what's left under the natural resinousness of gin itself. For me, anyway, I find that once the resin has been eliminated, what's left in poncirus is very lemon-y.

I basically don't bother with poncirus as a true marmalade -- marmalade is so rind-heavy that it plays into all of poncirus's weaknesses. It works a lot better as a jam or jelly. Poncirus has a ton of seeds but not a ton of juice, so the pectin content is a mixed bag. However, there is so much sugar in the mix that probably would have jelled just fine without any pectin at all. It makes for a fairly attractive clear-yellow jelly that tastes like a somewhat floral lemon.

[bussone]

Ease of preparation definitely counts as a factor in choosing varieties for marmalade.

Here are the factors that I know may be important:

Sweetness - not necessary, since a sweetener can be added.
Sourness - important flavor consideration
Bitterness - possible/traditional flavor consideration
Other flavor components - makes the marmalade from some varieties unique and special
Color - may be important, especially if marketed
Pectin content - important for jelling behavior, can be added if variety doesn't have enough, but convenient if it has enough
Preparation considerations such as - what parts are used, what parts are to be discarded,  how difficult is the preparation overall, what special treatments may be required or may be helpful (such as boiling and discarding water to remove bitterness as in the Yuzu recipe).

I find sweetness unimportant -- you are basically adding the fresh weight of your fruits in sugar. The classic marmalade orange is not sweet at all.

What *is* important is strength of flavor, and a pleasant taste in the rind -- marmalade is rind-heavy. Pectin can be added, if you are light in pectin. Most of your wilder citrus tends to be seedy, though; a benefit when you need pectin.

Juice flavor is more important if you are making a jelly.

[pagnr]

Personally I found Rough Seville, Smooth Seville and Yuzu completely edible as fruit.
Smooth Seville is possibly the most acidic, and being a large fruit, one is more than enough.
Chinotto is another "sour orange type", with more of the same distinct flavour. This translates into Cola type drinks, that matches well with Pizza.
Another Marmalade candidate ??
Nansho Dai Dai, Citrus taiwanica was far too sour acidic for me to enjoy as a fruit, so far so that I didn't bother to collect budwood from it at the first opportunity, but did so later. And since the Taiwan connection, a Manchurian candidate ??
On the other hand, I find the bitterness of Trifoliata a bridge too far to edibility.