If there is such a thing as a perfect fruit, it would have to be the clementine. First, there’s the convenience factor. Clementines are the ultimate in portability -- small enough to carry in your pocket, and seedless, with a loose peel that can be removed with one hand.

Then there are the aesthetics. Clementines are a deep, glossy orange color. They are sold in decorative miniature crates that double as gift boxes. And their fragrance is so alluring that it has been used to scent body-care products.

Health also plays a part: The average clementine packs only 40 calories, yet is rich in Vitamin C. All of these qualities pale compared to its taste. Clementines are the sweetest of the citrus family, with just enough tang to quench your thirst. To bite into one is to fall in love.

Clementines are named for Father Clement Rodier, who is said to have created the fruit in 1900 by crossing Mandarin and Seville oranges in the garden of his orphanage in Algeria. Spain began cultivating clementines in 1925, and is now the world’s largest producer and exporter, with more than 145 million pounds per year (2006-07) sold in the United States alone.

Yet as recently as 1990, few Americans had ever tasted this succulent treat. While clementines have been available in Europe for many years, the market for them in the United States didn’t take off until a devastating freeze in Florida in 1989 made domestic oranges scarce and expensive. A lot of citrus fruit was imported from Europe then, and clementines started to catch on.

Even five years ago, most clementines were sold during the six-week holiday season stretching from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Then marketers at Nulexport, a cooperative of about 1,000 farms in Castellón province, decided to export them in their charming holiday gift crates for as long as they lasted. Now the clementine season lasts for five months, from Halloween until April Fool’s Day, and more than 200,000 acres of Spanish farmland has been converted from orange and lemon cultivation to clementines, to meet the steadily growing demand.

As the season for Clementines has expanded, so has their culinary reach. No longer confined to the lunchbox, they are gracing menus and tables of the finest restaurants. A Mexican chef I know roasts striped bass topped with clementine segments, Jalapeño slices, cherry tomatoes and fresh cilantro. A French restaurant I frequent serves poached chicken or fish bathed in a puree of clementine segments, cooked butternut or acorn squash, hot chicken stock and a touch of butter and cream.

Clementines are especially suited to salads. You can mix clementine segments with endive leaves, romaine and Cabrales blue cheese. They also combine well with shaved fennel, red onion and black Spanish olives. Or you can toss them with clementine segments mixed with chicken cubes, Marcona almonds and spinach leaves. All of these salads do well with a dressing of Spanish olive oil, sherry vinegar and a dash of the smoked paprika known as pimentón.

Thanksgiving lends itself easily to cooking with clementines. You can greet your guests with a "Clementini," made of gin, dry vermouth and fresh-squeezed clementine juice. Garnish carrot or sweet potato soup with clementine segments and grated ginger. With the turkey, you could serve a relish made of finely chopped clementine segments and cranberries mixed with maple syrup and cooked in the microwave for two minutes. Or, for a light and elegant dessert, fill empty clementine peel "cups" with homemade clementine sorbet, freeze for at least three hours, and serve.

But the best way to enjoy clementines is straight from the crate. To savor them at their peak, pick fruit with a bright, shiny peel and a pleasant citrus smell with no hint of mustiness. The fruit should be firm, but with a slight give, indicating juiciness. The color should be brilliant orange, not pale yellow, and consistent throughout the crate, indicating that the fruit was picked at the same level of ripeness. Follow the adage that, the smaller the clementine, the sweeter the taste. And to ensure you get topquality fruit, always check that the label says "Clementines from Spain."

Clementines are the only fruit that retailers sell primarily in bulk -- shipped and sold in miniature balsam-wood crates covered with orange plastic netting that hold 28 to 35 clementines. The average retail price of a 5-pound crate of clementines ranges from $4.99 to $11.99. With the help of a friend or two, they’ll be gone within 48 hours.

But try to restrain yourself; remember, even the healthiest treat should be enjoyed in moderation. I’ll never forget the time I picked up my daughter at nursery school and found her covered with a rash. After determining that she had not been feverish or exposed to toxic chemicals, I asked if she had eaten anything unusual for snack. "Just some clementines," the teachers said, pointing to the empty balsam-wood crate. My 30-pound toddler was beaming. She had eaten 22 clementines in a single morning.

Molly Gordy is an award-winning journalist, translator and college professor who dreams of moving to Spain. She can be reached at profgordy@gmail.com.

Clementine sources: www.Lgsales.com, and www.dneworld.com.