Calamansi

Also known asCalamondin · Calamansi · Kalamansi · Limau Kasturi · Citrus microcarpa · Citrus × microcarpa

Name: Calamansi, also known as Calamondin or Philippine Lime (Citrus microcarpa, also classified as Citrofortunella microcarpa).

Description

Calamansi is a small, round citrus fruit, only a few centimetres across, that turns from green to orange as it ripens though it is almost always picked and used while still green and tart. It is a naturally occurring hybrid between a kumquat and a mandarin orange, the kind of cross that Encyclopaedia Britannica notes has produced several citrus hybrids with limes and mandarins grown for their fruit.

Native to the Philippines and widely grown across Southeast Asia, calamansi is central to Filipino cooking, where its juice seasons dishes much as lime or lemon does elsewhere, and it is squeezed into sauces, marinades, and a popular sweetened drink. No dedicated Britannica article exists for calamansi itself, so this description draws on coverage of its parent species.

Main nutrition value

USDA FoodData Central has no analyzed entry for calamansi. The closest documented substitute is the common lime, a similarly small, tart citrus fruit used in much the same way, so the figures below are an approximation for calamansi, not a direct measurement of it. Per 100g, raw lime:

By this proxy measure, calamansi-type citrus is a solid source of vitamin C, with some fiber and calcium; being closer to a kumquat-mandarin hybrid than a true lime, calamansi is also typically less acidic and slightly sweeter than the lime figures above suggest.

How best to be consumed

Calamansi is almost never eaten out of hand; it is halved and squeezed for its juice, which seasons dipping sauces, marinades, noodle dishes, and grilled meats across Filipino cooking, or diluted with water and sugar into a refreshing drink. Because the peel is thin and edible, whole small calamansi are sometimes eaten peel and all when very ripe and sweet.

Overconsumption could cause…

Like other acidic citrus, drinking large amounts of concentrated calamansi juice regularly can contribute to tooth enamel erosion or aggravate acid reflux in people prone to it. Otherwise it carries no particular risk beyond the ordinary considerations for tart citrus fruit eaten in large quantities.

GroupsCitrus FruitsTropical FruitsCitrus (Rutaceae)Southeast AsianFresh

Related foodsPomeloBergamot OrangeBlood OrangeCitronClementineFinger Lime

U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central — Limes, raw (FDC ID 168155), 100g portion, used as a nutritional proxy for calamansi (no USDA entry exists for Citrus microcarpa): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168155/nutrients Encyclopaedia Britannica — kumquat (no dedicated Britannica article exists for calamansi; this is the closest related coverage, of one of calamansi's parent species): https://www.britannica.com/plant/kumquat