Seville Orange Against Blue Sky

This orange is on a tree in front of my house in Tucson, Arizona.

 

From Wikipedia:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_orange

 

Seville orange (or bigarade) is a widely known, particularly tart orange which is now grown throughout the Mediterranean region. It has a thick, dimpled skin, and is prized for making marmalade, being higher in pectin than the sweet orange, and therefore giving a better set and a higher yield. It is also used in compotes and for orange-flavored liqueurs.

 

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

 

I can no longer eat anything made with Seville oranges:

Bitter orange may have serious drug interactions with drugs such as statins in a similar way to grapefruit.

 

Since I am not allowed to eat grapefruit, I assume that is also the case for Seville oranges!!!

 

2016 Update:

I am not longer on statins, so I can eat tart citrus fruit and berries, such as cranberries. Yea!!

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Seen on www.ask.com

Q:

When are Seville oranges in season?

 

A:Seville oranges have a very brief winter season from December to February.

 

Seville oranges are a variety of sour oranges that are most commonly used for orange marmalade.

 

Seville oranges taste sour, tart and sometimes bitter. When the bitter flavor of Seville oranges is combined with sugar, the predominant flavor is oranges with a sharp, tangy taste. The bitterness of the Seville oranges eliminates the over-sweetness of most fruit preserves and contributes to an intensity of flavor in the marmalade. Seville oranges can be refrigerated for up to two weeks or frozen.

 

Seville orange plants are used more as a rootstock for other types of citrus than for cultivating its own fruits.

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Seasons/Availability

 

 

Seville oranges have a brief winter season.

 

Current Facts

 

 

The Seville orange, botanically classified as Citrus aurantium, is a sour orange variety commonly used for its oil extract. The Seville orange, also commonly known as bitter orange or sour orange has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat nausea, indigestion and constipation. The crushed fruit and macerated leaves will lather when mixed with water and is used as a soap substitute in the Pacific Islands. The Seville orange peel, when dried and concentrated, contains a chemical similar to ephedra and has been used in many modern weight-loss products.

 

Description/Taste

 

 

Although the Seville orange smells like a true orange, it does not have many other obvious award winning virtues. Its rough, thick and bumpy deep orange colored peel clings tightly to its pale orange translucent flesh, making it hard to peel. It is sour, tart, sometimes bitter and laden with seeds. It has two primary attributes: the peel contains fragrant essential oils and its flesh, when ripe is extremely juicy. The most common usage for the Seville orange is for the production of marmalade where it can use its peel and juice to its advantage; any sour and bitter flavors can be developed and enriched into elements of depth.

 

Applications

 

 

Seville oranges are most commonly used for orange marmalade. Use the zest and juice in flavored sugars or salts, syrups, cocktails, vinaigrette or marinades. Pair with fennel, bitter greens, chicories, olives, other citrus, fresh herbs, aged cheeses, seafood, rice, and Spanish spices. Seville oranges will keep, refrigerated, for up to two weeks.

 

Geography/History

 

 

Sour oranges are native to China. Trade routes brought them to Africa and the Mediterranean in the 10th Century. Cultivation of sour orange varieties led to the Seville orange of Seville, Spain in the 12th Century, where it would accrue its name. The Seville orange was the only orange variety in Europe for the next 500 years. It was also one of the first citrus varieties brought to the New World where it was naturalized in the Caribbean, South, Central and North America. When sweet oranges were introduced to America, sour orange trees would begin to shift their role as edible fruit to rootstock. Cross pollination of the sour and sweet orange trees also proved to create bitter fruits in sweet orange varieties which forced farmers to reduce production of sour orange trees.

 

 

Recipe Ideas

Recipes that include Seville Oranges. One is easiest, three is harder.

Dressing for Dinner Seville Orange Cupcakes with Seville Buttercream Icing

Simply RecipesSeville Orangeade

The Cottage SmallholderGilbert’s Seville Orange Gin

The British LarderRaw Salad of Fennel, Seville Orange, Chicory and Kohlrabi

HerbivoraciousPaella Cakes with Manchego and Candied Seville Orange Peel

The Cottage SmallholderEasy Seville Orange Marmalade

Eat Locally, Blog Globally Lavender Jelly with Orange-pith Pectin

Everybody Likes Sandwiches Bitter Orange Ice Cream

The British LarderRaw Salad of Fennel, Seville Orange, Chicory and Kohlrabi

The British Larder Seville Orange and Vanilla Bean Marmalade

Hide the other 2...

Arctic Garden StudioVin d’Orange

Hunter Angler Gardener CookCretan Olives with Seville Oranges

 

Recently Spotted

People have spotted Seville Oranges using the Specialty Produce app for iPhone and Android.

Produce Spotting allows you to share your produce discoveries with your neighbors and the world! Is your market carrying green dragon apples? Is a chef doing things with shaved fennel that are out of this world? Pinpoint your location annonymously through the Specialty Produce App and let others know about unique flavors that are around them.

 

 

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