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Bitter orange
The bitter orange, sour orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is the hybrid citrus tree species Citrus × aurantium, and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. It is a cross between the pomelo, Citrus maxima, and the wild type mandarin orange, Citrus reticulata. The bitter orange is used to make essential oil, used in foods, drinks, and pharmaceuticals. The Seville orange is prized for making British orange marmalade.
In some proposed systems, the species Citrus × aurantium includes not only the bitter orange proper, but all other hybrids between the pomelo and the wild type mandarin, namely the sweet orange, the grapefruit, and all cultivated mandarins. This article only deals with the bitter orange proper.
The bitter orange, like many cultivated Citrus species, is a hybrid, in its case of the wild mandarin and pomelo.
The bitter orange spread from Southeast Asia via India and Iran to the Islamic world as early as 700 AD in the Arab Agricultural Revolution. After the Columbian exchange, the pomelo was introduced to the New World, starting in Mexico by 1568.
The bitter orange has orange fruit with a distinctly bitter or sour taste. The tree has alternate simple leaves on long petioles; there are long thorns on the petiole. The trees require little care and may live for as long as 600 years. It grows in subtropical regions but can tolerate a brief frost.
The bitter orange has many of the same pests and diseases as other citrus fruits. Viral diseases include citrus tristeza virus, crinkly leaf virus, and xyloporosis. Among the many fungal diseases are anthracnose, dieback, and heart rot.
Among the many related species is Citrus bergamia, the bergamot orange. This is probably a bitter orange and limetta hybrid; it is cultivated in Italy for the production of bergamot oil, a component of many brands of perfume and tea, especially Earl Grey tea. It is a less hardy plant than other bitter orange varieties.
While the raw pulp is not edible, bitter orange is widely used in cooking. The Seville orange (the usual name in this context) is prized for making British orange marmalade, being higher in pectin than the sweet orange, and therefore giving a better set and a higher yield. Once a year, oranges of this variety are collected from trees in Seville and shipped to Britain to be used in marmalade. However, the fruit is rarely consumed locally in Andalusia. This reflects Britain, Portugal and Spain's historic Atlantic trading relationship; an early recipe for 'marmelet of oranges' was recorded by Eliza Cholmondeley in 1677. Bitter orange—bigarade—was used in all early recipes for duck à l'orange, originally called canard à la bigarade. Malta too has a tradition of making bitter oranges into marmalade.
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Bitter orange
The bitter orange, sour orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is the hybrid citrus tree species Citrus × aurantium, and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. It is a cross between the pomelo, Citrus maxima, and the wild type mandarin orange, Citrus reticulata. The bitter orange is used to make essential oil, used in foods, drinks, and pharmaceuticals. The Seville orange is prized for making British orange marmalade.
In some proposed systems, the species Citrus × aurantium includes not only the bitter orange proper, but all other hybrids between the pomelo and the wild type mandarin, namely the sweet orange, the grapefruit, and all cultivated mandarins. This article only deals with the bitter orange proper.
The bitter orange, like many cultivated Citrus species, is a hybrid, in its case of the wild mandarin and pomelo.
The bitter orange spread from Southeast Asia via India and Iran to the Islamic world as early as 700 AD in the Arab Agricultural Revolution. After the Columbian exchange, the pomelo was introduced to the New World, starting in Mexico by 1568.
The bitter orange has orange fruit with a distinctly bitter or sour taste. The tree has alternate simple leaves on long petioles; there are long thorns on the petiole. The trees require little care and may live for as long as 600 years. It grows in subtropical regions but can tolerate a brief frost.
The bitter orange has many of the same pests and diseases as other citrus fruits. Viral diseases include citrus tristeza virus, crinkly leaf virus, and xyloporosis. Among the many fungal diseases are anthracnose, dieback, and heart rot.
Among the many related species is Citrus bergamia, the bergamot orange. This is probably a bitter orange and limetta hybrid; it is cultivated in Italy for the production of bergamot oil, a component of many brands of perfume and tea, especially Earl Grey tea. It is a less hardy plant than other bitter orange varieties.
While the raw pulp is not edible, bitter orange is widely used in cooking. The Seville orange (the usual name in this context) is prized for making British orange marmalade, being higher in pectin than the sweet orange, and therefore giving a better set and a higher yield. Once a year, oranges of this variety are collected from trees in Seville and shipped to Britain to be used in marmalade. However, the fruit is rarely consumed locally in Andalusia. This reflects Britain, Portugal and Spain's historic Atlantic trading relationship; an early recipe for 'marmelet of oranges' was recorded by Eliza Cholmondeley in 1677. Bitter orange—bigarade—was used in all early recipes for duck à l'orange, originally called canard à la bigarade. Malta too has a tradition of making bitter oranges into marmalade.