The tangerine is a type of orange citrus fruit. It is a hybrid of the mandarin orange with some pomelo contribution. The term "tangerine" is dervied from Tangier, the city in Morocco, as this was the city from which the first fruits were imported to England.
Note that some mandarin orange-pomelo crosses are called tangors, and have very similar characteristics to tangerines; in particular "honey tangerines" are actually tangors, as are clementines.
Tangerines are typically smaller and less spherical than oranges, with a strong sweet flavor and less sourness. They have thin peel and generally little pith.
Peak tangerine season lasts from autumn to spring. The fruit is well suited to peeling and eating by hand, and can be easily used in salads and desserts. The peel is also used fresh or dried for use as a spice. Tangerine juice is also popular.