Recently I noticed I was seeing kumquats everywhere on food blogs, and I'd never cooked a single thing with kumquats. Other bloggers were also mentioning the Kumquat's popularity, and I realized I wasn't completely sure I even knew what they were.

You can learn a lot just from asking Google though, and I now know that kumquats are small citrus fruits, usually about the size of a large grape, with a skin that's either orange or pale red. They originated in Asia, but are now grown in many other parts of the world, with Greece supplying lots of the kumquats in Europe, and the state of Florida leading in kumquat growing in the United States. There are many varieties of kumquats, and they were classified botanically as a new genus called Fortunella in 1915 by Dr. Walter T. Swingle.

Kumquats are often eaten raw, since you can eat skin, seeds, and all, with a lot of the flavor being from the skin. When eating them raw, many kumquat fans suggest rolling them slightly in your fingers to release oils in the skin. They can be used in cooked dishes too, including preserves, marmalade, sauces, braised dishes, and for making liqueurs.

There are also kumquat hybrids with names like orangequats, limequats, lemonquats, and calamondins, created when kumquats cross-pollinate with other citrus fruits. Whether you get kumquats, or one of the hybrid varieties, food bloggers seem captivated by the possibilities of these interesting mini-fruits.

Recipes with Kumquats Eaten Raw
Kiwi Kumquat Salad with Key Lime Syrup from Coconut and Lime
Red Cabbage Kumquat Slaw from The Omnivore's Solution
Kumquat Salsa from Simply Recipes

Desserts or Sweet Recipes with Kumquats
Kumquat Chiffon Cake from Kitchen Unplugged
Earl Grey Cake with Kumquat Marmalade from Rasberry Eggplant
Kumquat Bread from A Fridge Full of Food
Yogurt Cake with Kumquat Marmalade Glaze from 80 Breakfasts
Szechuan Peppercorn and Kumquat Caramels from Cooking Debauchery
Orange Poppy Seed Cake with Candied Kumquats from Swirling Notions
Lemon Cheesecake with Carmelised Kumquat Glaze from Life's Smorgasbord
Sensation Satine from Tartelette

Kumquats with Meat, Poultry, or Fish
Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with Kumquats from Food Blogga
Kumquat-Braised Oxtail from Daily Bread Journal
Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Kumquat Jam from Kirsten's Home Cooking
Moroccan Chicken with Kumquats and Prunes from Superspark
Scallops Ceviche with Kumquats from La Tartine Gourmande

Kumquat Preserves, Marmalade, or Chutney
Spicy Chutney with Kumquats from Endless Simmer
Preserved Kumquats from Redacted Recipes
Kumquat Marmalade from 80 Breakfasts
Kumquat Marmalade from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once (That's Haalo's gorgeous kumquats photo at the beginning of this post too.)

Drinks with Kumquats
Kumquat and Mango Mojito from Live to Eat
Kumquat Liqueur from The Cottage Smallholder
Kumquat Dacquiri from Cooking 4 the Week

Recipes with Kumquat Hybrids
Coconut Lemonquat Tea Cake from Food Blogga
Honeyed Orangequat (or orange) Ginger Muffins from Food Blogga
Limequats, Kumquats, Orange and Vanilla Jam from Delicious Days
Sunshine Citrus Bread with Calamondins from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Limequat, Lemonquat and Kumquat Margarita from Kirsten's Home Cooking
Kaffir Limes and Limequats Meringue Pie from In Mol Araan

You might also want to check out How to Eat a Kumquat by Marisa at Slashfood if you happen upon some kumquats at your local store and want to be sure you're making the right facial expressions when you eat them! And if anyone has a good suggestion for eating kumquats or a recipe link, be sure to leave it in the comments.

BlogHer Food Editor Kalyn Denny also blogs at Kalyn's Kitchen. She's never cooked with kumquats but thinks they might taste great with Greek Yogurt with Agave Nectar and Pecans.