Orange (fruit)
Oranges are the fruits of an orange tree, one of the most common citrus fruits. Oranges are widely grown in
warmer climates and are distributed worldwide. The name "orange" refers both to the fruit and its color — the color is named for the fruit.
The flavors of orange vary from sweet to sour.
The fruit is commonly peeled and eaten fresh, or squeezed for its juice. It has a thick bitter rind that is usually discarded,
but can be used in certain recipes as flavoring or a garnish. The outer-most layer of the rind is grated or thinly veneered with a tool called a zester, to produce
orange zest which is popular in cooking because it has a similar flavor to the inner part of the orange. The white part of the
rind, pith, is almost always discarded.
Origins
- For the etymology of the word "orange", see orange
(word).
Orange (variety Hart's Late) - watercolor 1887
The fruit is said to have originated in India (some say Vietnam). The original fruit is rather bitter compared to modern varieties, as is referred to as the sour
orange (or alternately, bitter, bigarade or Seville orange). The sour taste is in fact attributed to the slight acidity of
the orange's juice. It is not entirely clear if the sour orange really is the original stock or not, and it may be the case that
there is no original wild orange species.
Varieties
All citrus trees are of a single genus, Citrus, and remain largely interbreedable – that is, there is only one
"superspecies" which includes lemons and limes as well as oranges. Nevertheless names have been given to the various members of the citrus family,
oranges often being referred to as Citrus sinensis and Citrus aurantium. All members of the Citrus aurantium
family are considered berries because they have many seeds, are fleshy, soft and derive from a single ovary.
A number of varieties of orange are now cultivated widely. The sweet orange (Citrus aurantium)
was first grown in Spain, and has become the most popular variety. The sweet orange will
grow to different sizes and colors due to local conditions, most commonly with ten carpels (slices) inside.
A single mutation in an orchard of
sweet oranges planted at a monastery in 1820 in Brazil led to the navel orange (aka Washington, Riverside or Bahia navel). A single cutting of the
original was then transplanted to Riverside, California in 1870, creating a new market
worldwide. The mutation caused a diploid (twin) fruit, with a smaller orange embedded
in the outer fruit near the stem. From the outside the smaller, undeveloped, twin leaves a human navel-like formation at the top
of the fruit. Navel oranges are almost always seedless, and tend to be larger than the sweet orange. They are produced without
pollination (parthenocarpy).
The Valencia or Murcia orange is one of the sweet oranges used for juice extraction. It is a late-season fruit.
It is a popular variety of orange when the navel oranges are out of season.
The blood orange has streaks of red in the fruit, and when squeezed the juice is often reddish. The
mandarin orange is similar, but smaller and sweeter,
and the scarlet navel is a variety with the same diploid mutation as the navel orange.
Bitter oranges are used in marmalade and as an ingredient in the liqueurs triple sec and curaçao.
Orange cultivation
Orange cultivation is a major business, and an important part of the economies of (among others) the US states of Florida and California, many Mediterranean countries, Romania,
South Africa, and the 'Riverina' district around the Murray River in Australia.
Products made from oranges
- Orange oil (produced by pressing
the peel) is used in surface conditioning of wood furniture, and (along with other citrus oils) in grease removal and as a
hand-cleansing agent.
- Orange spray (extracted from
orange peels and sold commercially) is an extremely efficient cleaning agent which is environmentally friendly and
non-toxic.
- Orange blossom honey (really citrus honey) is produced by putting beehives in the
citrus groves during bloom, which also pollinates seeded citrus varieties.
Orange blossom honey is highly prized, and tastes much like orange.
See also
Tangerine, Mandarin
orange, Kumquat, Orangewater, Lue Gim Gong
External links
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