Facts about mandarines

Mandarin orange, commonly known as mandarin or mandarine, originates from China. It owes its name to the Chinese, as China is where the clerical profession of mandarins - bureaucrat scholars of Imperial China - originated. Although they have been cultivated in China for over 3,000 years, mandarins did not arrive in Europe and North America until the 19th century. At first, they were adopted by the Italians and the British and, eventually, by Americans living in the southern states of the United States.