Mandarin

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The peel holds nobiletin and tangeretin, the two most-studied citrus flavonoids (a family of protective plant compounds).

Persian medicine treats the flesh as cooling and the peel as warming, in one fruit.

Buy unwaxed fruit if you plan to use the zest.

Nārengi grows along the Caspian, and from Āzar onward you'll find it on tables across the country: a bowl by the korsi, peeled by hand, filling the room with its scent before anyone takes a bite. Persian cooks don't waste the peel. Grated into rice, it makes polo-ye nārengi. Simmered in water, it becomes a winter tea. The peel also carries flavonoids (a family of protective plant compounds) the flesh doesn't have in the same amount.

Known to botanists as Citrus reticulata.