Sumo Citrus has hit the shelves at grocers near you. Available nationwide* annually from January to April. you can easily recognize them by their topknot—reminiscent of the hair of sumo wrestlers. Sumo Citrus is one of the world’s largest and sweetest mandarins, celebrated for its sweet taste and distinct looks. Originally from Japan, Sumo Citrus is now grown in the U.S.

Compared to the navel and other oranges, Sumo Citrus is easy to peel. It’s seedless, super-sweet, and juicy: a no-mess snack.

It’s a bit more expensive than other mandarins. According to SumoCitrus.com, Sumo Citrus is the most difficult citrus to grow. It takes four years of constant care before a Sumo Citrus tree produces any fruit.

Despite its rugged appearance, it’s a delicate fruit that requires far more expertise and gentle handling than any other piece of citrus. Each Sumo Citrus tree is carefully groomed by hand every year and then hand-picked and hand-packed. Even the trailers used to transport Sumo Citrus are designed to give it a smooth (vs. bumpy) ride!

Here’s more about Sumo Citrus.
 
 
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MANDARINS & ORANGES

The term “mandarin orange” is incorrect. Mandarins and oranges are separate species, as you can see from the taxonomy below.

From a visual perspective:

 
Are they close relatives?

From a hybridization perspective, the mandarin is a progenitor of the orange. The orange is a cross between a mandarin and a pomelo, created long ago in China.

Both are in the genus Citrus; the binomial classification of both mandarins and oranges branches at the species level (we’d call this “cousins”). For food geeks, here’s the entire taxonomy:

 
Hats off to the botanists who painstakingly mapped this out!
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF MANDARINS
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF ORANGES

[1] Sumo Citrus has a topknot, like the sumo wrestlers after which they were named (all photos © Sumo Citrus).

[2] Sumo Citrus are mandarins, easy to peel.

[3] Look for them in the produce section from January through April.

[4] Add segments to green salads (here mesclun and fennel), chicken salads, and to a pan sauce (photo © Shaya Restaurant | New Orleans).

Retailers include Albertsons, H‑E‑B, Hy-Vee, Kroger, Osco, Pavilions, Publix, Ralphs, Safeway, Sams Club, Shaws, Sprouts, Target, Vons, Wegmans, and Whole Foods.

†A clade is a branch that includes a single common ancestor; the group of its descendants is called a clade. A cladogram is an evolutionary tree that diagrams the ancestral relationships among organisms.

[1] All of the toddies here are shown in clear glasses or mugs. Why? It makes the drink look better (photo © L’Adresse | NYC).

[2] In Colonial times a pat of butter was added to the toddy, creating Hot Buttered Rum. It clouded the drink, but in those days, everything was drunk from a ceramic or metal tankard (photo © Hella Cocktail Co.).

[3] Black tea with cloves is a classic base for a toddy. The lemon can be squeezed into the drink or added as a floating garnish (photo © Ruth’s Chris Steak House).

[4] If you prefer green tea, make your toddy with it (photo © Republic Of Tea).

[5] Use a base of spiced tea or chai for a spicy toddy. Constant Comment makes spiced tea in both black and green—and decaf, too (photo © Bigelow Tea).

[6] Go ahead: Add your favorite spirit to the toddy (photo © Mount Gay Rum).

The word “toddy” typically evokes thoughts of a hot drink with rum or another spirit. For most people, a toddy isn’t a toddy without spirits, but if you’re observing Dry January, the tea toddy recipes below are ideal. Hankering for a spirited toddy? Check out our toddy recipes. (LINK) National Hot Toddy Day is January 11th, National Hot Tea Day is January 12th and National Hot Buttered Rum Day (a rum toddy with a pat of butter) is January 17th.

These recipes, courtesy of Adagio Teas, are perfect for today, National Hot Tea Day (and it just happens to be freezing where we live.)

Take your pick of a black tea or a green tea toddy, and you can also add alcohol for a classic toddy.

Herbal teas work well too if they do not conflict with the spices. Consider chamomile or hibiscus, and use them in the same quantities as noted below.

> Hot Toddy History

> Hot Toddy Relatives (Glögg, Mulled Wine, etc.)
 
 
RECIPE #1: BLACK TEA TODDY

You can substitute a cinnamon stick instead of ground cinnamon. The stick can also serve as a stirrer.

Or, take a shortcut and use a spiced tea or chai blend like Constant Comment (photo #5).
 
Ingredients For 1 Drink

 
Preparation

1. BREW the tea. First, pour the honey, lemon juice, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg into a large mug. Then pour in the hot tea. Stir until both the honey and spices are completely dissolved.

2. MAKE a horizontal slit through the bottom flesh of the lemon wedge so it sits on the rim of the mug. Drink up!
 
 
RECIPE #2: GREEN TEA TODDY

For a strong alcoholic toddy, use only 1/4 cup of brewed tea. Otherwise, use the full 1-1/4 cups.
 
Ingredients For 1 Drink

 
Preparation

1. BREW the tea. Add 1/4 cup of tea into a mug. Stir in the honey until it completely dissolves. Then add the rest of the tea. For the alcoholic version, use 1/4 cup of tea and 1/4 cup of whiskey. First blend the tea and honey, then add the whiskey.

2. GARNISH with a lemon slice or wedge.
 
 
MORE HOT TODDY RECIPES

 
 
MORE HOT TODDY HISTORY

Thanks to Adagio Teas for this bit of beverage history. There are three tales, all of which are a bit “blurry,” according to food historians.

Story #1: The drink first appeared in the early 16th century in India. It was named tārī (a Hindi word pronounced taddy), which was made from fermented tree sap, and was a popular folk remedy for congestion. The mixture, originally served cold, included alcohol, sugar, water, and spices. Adding hot water, and later hot tea, turned it into a remedy for colds and respiratory congestion.

Story #2: The toddy was created by Irish doctor Robert Bently Todd, who prescribed it to his patients as a cold remedy. The recipe blended hot brandy, canella (cinnamon), sugar syrup, and hot water.

Story #3: The Scots developed the hot toddy to make raw Scotch whisky more palatable. They added sugar, dates, saffron, mace, nuts, and cinnamon. As whisky makers became more adept, there was less call for spices or sweeteners, yet the idea of a hot drink with spices and alcohol endured because it tastes good and, yes, it makes one feel better.

Medical professionals agree that a hot toddy can be good for colds and mild respiratory congestion. Both the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University in the U.K. and the Mayo Clinic in the U.S. have cited the spices, which stimulate saliva to help ease a sore throat, and the combination of lemon and honey stimulate mucus drainage. And, of course, warm liquids ease congestion and prevent dehydration. Neither institution suggests large doses of whiskey, but agrees that a small amount can ease the stress that comes with being ill from a cold.

We were quite young when we first learned about Stash Tea. It was in the early 1970s, and in those days, in the Northeast, there were few natural food stores. Yogurt was still a cult food eaten by “health nuts” and people in Greek and Middle Eastern communities. In these days of the hippie, we thought that the name paid homage to one’s stash of illicit substances.

The tea, which we ordered from a catalog back then, was great, and we just learned that we were wrong about the name.
 
 
STASH TEA HISTORY

Things were more progressive in Portland, Oregon, when The Stash Tea Company was founded in 1972. It started in the basement of a suburban Victorian house. There, surrounded by loose teas, herbs and spices, a trio of friends set out to provide better tea than the large brands offered.

They started with quality loose tea, and named the company for the special reserve of precious teas that many sea captains kept “stashed” onboard for their personal use.

The fledgling company quickly became a player in fine teas. One partner had a mail-order marketing background with Sears, one had worked with Frito-Lay, and the third had management experience at a natural foods store.

Offering a better tea alternative to the category monster Lipton and its competitors, Stash made a profit in its first year, mostly by selling to natural foods stores.

The customers there appreciated a brand that tasted better than the bagged tea brands then available.

By 1975, the company began marketing tea bags and a complete line of traditional, specialty blend, and herbal teas to restaurants and through mail-order catalogs. Restaurants and other segments of the foodservice industry became the company’s bread and butter.

Stash Tea launched a website in 1995 with the advent of e-commerce, making their teas available to customers nationwide.

After 21 years, the founders sold the company to Yamamotoyama Co., Ltd., a 300-year-old tea company based in Tokyo.

They then founded another startup, Tazo Tea, which they eventually sold to Starbucks for $9.1 million.
 
 
STASH TEA TODAY

Today, Stash Tea ranks among the top five specialty tea companies in the U.S. It sells a complete line of specialty teas: some 200 teas, tea accessories, and tea gifts.

 
So head online to check out your favorite teas and discover new ones. Send someone a tea gift.

Head to StashTea.com.

The line is certified kosher by KOF-K.
 
 
WHAT WE DISCOVERED

We spent some time on the Stash Tea website—a wealth of options and opportunities for discovery.

We first discovered their Double Bergamot Earl Grey black tea bags, which are so much more intensely bergamot than the brands we’d been using.

Ditto with the Super Irish Breakfast Tea and the Moroccan Mint Green Tea.

We also discovered a delightful selection of tea infusers for loose tea, including the cat in photo #4, plus a dog, a duck, a llama, a hedgehog, a narwhal, a sloth, and a unicorn. Check them out!

So treat yourself. Make a cup of tea and relax on StashTea.com for your break.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF TEA
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF TEA BAGS
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA

[1] Time for a tea break. We’re heading to our “Stash” (all photos © Stash Tea).

[2] Peach Black Tea and White Peach Oolong Tea are Stash staff picks.

[3] There are 8 varieties of chai and dozens of flavored and herbal teas.

[4] There are delightful loose tea infusers, including cats and dogs.

________________

*Lipton remains the leading brand of bagged and loose leaf tea in the U.S., with sales of $218 million. Bigelow tea ranks second with $189 million. Twinings of London is third with $93 million, followed by Celestial Seasonings with $88 million. Private-label brands account for about $100 million [source].

Tea is the second most widely consumed beverage worldwide, second to water. In 2018, global tea production amounted to about 5.8 million metric tons. China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia were among the main tea producers in 2019, based on volume. China was responsible for the majority of total tea production with 2.8 million metric tons. Pakistan was the leading tea importer, with about $590 million worth [source].

[1] A quickie pizza for breakfast uses ready-to-eat naan flatbread instead of a pizza crust. The recipe is below (photos #1, #2 and #4 © Frigo Cheese).

[2] Add bacon, breakfast sausage or other topping(s) to the pizza.

[3] Campari tomatoes are similar in size to plum tomatoes, but with a round rather than oval shape (photo © Burpee).

[4] Frigo’s fresh mozzarella.

[5] Breakfast pizza with eggs and pancetta. Here’s the recipe (photo © DeLallo).

National Pizza Week begins the second Sunday in January, and you can start it off with pizza for breakfast— All of the pizza holidays are below; and check out these pizza statistics.

This is a speedy recipe because it switches out ready-to-heat-and-eat naan flatbfread instead of pizza dough. You can also use a small prebaked pizza crust.

The recipe is courtesy of Emily Ellyn, Retro Rad Chef and Frigo Cheese. Here are more of Chef Emily Ellyn’s recipes.

> The different types of flatbread.

> The history of pizza.
 
 
RECIPE: FLATBREAD PIZZA WITH CHOICE OF TOPPINGS

Some breakfast pizza recipes are topped with an egg, and you’re welcome to do so here. We recommend frying the egg separately and adding it as a garnish. Otherwise, after the crust is golden and toppings are browned, crack two eggs over each naan. Return them to the oven and bake for another 2-4 minutes more, until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny (photo #5).

You can also substitute sliced hard-boiled eggs.
 
Ingredients

 
Garnish

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Brush the naan flatbreads, bubbly side up, with the olive oil and sparingly season with salt. Then, place the naan on a sheet tray or pizza stone.

2. DIVIDE the marinara sauce and spread it over the tops of the naan. Top with the mozzarella and tomato slices. Add any additional pizza toppings, as desired.

3. PLACE the naan pizzas on the middle rack and cook for 10–15 minutes or until the mozzarella becomes melty and the crusts are golden brown.

4. REMOVE the pizzas from the oven and top them with the freshly ground black pepper, fresh basil and oregano. Slice and serve them with shredded Parmesan cheese and dried chili flakes.

Mangia!
 

THE YEAR IN PIZZA HOLIDAYS

Whether you get takeout pizza or make your own, mark your calendars for:

Struggling through diet after diet in the 1980s, we ate a lot of salad. In those days, before the wide distribution of artisan vinegars and olive oils, we preferred “diet” salad dressings to generic oil and vinegar. The brand with the widest choice was Walden Farms: zero calories, zero carbs, zero fats. Not to mention, cholesterol-free, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and certified kosher by OU.

While we embraced it at first, we grew tired of the overall flavors. But that was then.

Now, Walden Farms has improved its line of salad dressings—very good flavor and a lot of them, for dressing, marinades, and recipes. And still zero calories, zero carbs, and zero fats. We tried them and were impressed!

All of the salad dressings now have natural flavors with improved taste and texture on the inside and a label design on the outside.
 
 
ZERO-CALORIE FLAVORS FOR EVERY PALATE

What dazzles us is how many choices there are: 22!. How many dressings can fit on the grocer’s shelf? They’re all available on the Walden Farms website.

 
Discover more at WaldenFarms.com.
 
 
THE 5 MOST POPULAR SALAD DRESSING FLAVORS

According to The Association for Dressings and Sauces, Ranch is the most-popular dressing flavor in the country (Here’s more about ranch dressing). The runners-up:

 
 
RECIPE: ASIAN TOFU OR CHICKEN SALAD

This recipe (photo #5), from @TheVeganMomma, uses Walden Farms’ Sesame Ginger Dressing—zero calories, zero net carbs, zero sugar and fat—for this tasty, low calorie salad. She made it with tofu; we substituted chicken. You can use both!
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

Just chop up the ingredients, add dressing and toss.

[1] Italian is the second most-popular bottled dressing in the U.S., after Ranch (all photos © Walden Farms).

[2] Toss mixed steamed vegetables with zero-calorie Walden Farms vinaigrette and top with grilled fish.

[3] The most popular bottled dressing in the U.S.: Ranch.

[4] Make Buffalo wings with zero-calorie Walden Farms BBQ Sauce and Blue Cheese Dressing.

[5] This tasty, low-calorie Asian Sesame Ginger Salad can be vegan with tofu or meaty with chicken. The recipe is below (photo © Vegan Momma | Walden Farms Facebook.