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Aroy Mak Mak

Thai Tangerine

ส้มสายน้ำผึ้ง

Som sai nam phueng: sweet, juicy northern tangerines, sold fresh and squeezed everywhere.

Thai Tangerine

Thailand's tangerines are sweet and very juicy, often with green or green-yellow skin even when ripe. Bottles of freshly squeezed tangerine juice, sold chilled with a pinch of salt, are one of the great everyday drinks of the country.

Pronunciationsom sai nam peung
FlavourVery sweet and juicy, with little acidity
SeasonNovember to February
EatenFresh, and as freshly squeezed juice

Varieties

  • Som sai nam phueng ("honey-stream orange"): from Chiang Mai's Fang district, golden-skinned and very sweet; the most prized.
  • Som khiao wan ("sweet green orange"): green-skinned and juicy, the everyday tangerine sold all over the country.
  • Som bang mot: an old Bangkok variety from the Thonburi orchards, now rare.

How it is used

Eaten fresh and squeezed into juice (nam som khan). Occasionally the juice replaces lime in desserts and drinks.

Choosing and storing

Choose fruit that is heavy for its size, with thin, shiny skin. Colour is not a guide to sweetness in Thai tangerines. They keep for a week at room temperature and two weeks in the fridge.

In Thai markets

Most Thai tangerines are grown in the north, around Fang and other districts of Chiang Mai and in neighbouring Chiang Rai, and the cool season brings the sweetest fruit. They are sold loose or in net bags by the kilo. Juice vendors squeeze them to order on hand presses, or sell small bottles kept on ice, usually with a pinch of salt already added. Som bang mot, once grown in the orchards of Thonburi, has largely disappeared as the area was built over.

Outside Thailand

Clementines, satsumas and other mandarins are the closest substitutes. They are usually a little more acidic, so for Thai-style juice choose the sweetest you can find, squeeze them fresh and add a small pinch of salt. Chill the juice well and drink it the same day.

Cook’s tip

Add a small pinch of salt to fresh tangerine juice, as Thai vendors do. It sharpens the sweetness.

More Fruits

All Fruits