Calamondin is a fruit tree and is very popular throughout Southeast Asia, especially the Philippines, where it is most commonly used for cooking. In the west it is variously known as acid orange, Calamondin orange, or Panama orange. It is a shrub or small tree growing to 3-6 m, and bears small citrus fruit used to flavour foods and drinks. Hybrids have been cultivated for so long that the origins of most are obscure. The fruit of the Calamondin resembles a small, round lime, usually 25-35mm in diameter, but sometimes up to 45mm. It has the odour of a tangerine with a very thin green or orange colored peel. Despite its appearance and aroma, the taste of the fruit itself is quite sour, though the peel is sweet. Putting the whole fruit into the mouth often leads to surprise from first-time tasters at the combination of sweet and sour. The fruit can be frozen whole and used as ice cubes in beverages like gin, tea or ginger ale. The juice extracted by crushing the whole fruit makes a flavorful drink similar to lemonade, and a liqueur can also be made from the whole fruits, in combination with vodka and sugar. In Asia the juice is used to season fish, fowl, and pork. Like other citrus fruits, the calamondin is high in vitamin C. In Europe and North America, the calamondin is grown mainly as an ornamental plant; it can be especially attractive when the fruit are present. It is frost sensitive and therefore limited to warm climates (e.g., Florida, south Texas, and Hawaii in the U.S.). If the plant is potted, it may be brought indoors during the winter in areas with cooler climates. Best grown in a pot where it can be placed in a frost-free place in winter, the calamondin will do well on a cool light window sill indoors, or in a sheltered outdoor spot in summer, preferring a minimum winter temperature of 5ºc, a little higher by day.
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