Where Do Oranges Come From?

Oranges are grown throughout the world with United States, Mexico and Brazil as the three countries with the largest production. A number of different types of oranges are available in the open market.

Commercial orange production exists worldwide but oranges thrive best in warm to hot regions that can provide plenty of water. The top orange producers in the world include Brazil, United States and Mexico. Within the States, California and Florida are the primary production areas.

Oranges are also grown in: India, China, Spain, Italy, Iran, Egypt and Pakistan

The types can be grouped into broad categories of sweet and bitter oranges. Though the bitter orange originally came from Persia, another variety that is sweet also came west during the 15th century. This variety was sweet to the taste and found a wider market for traders.

Types

There are numerous different types of oranges, both bitter and sweet. For example:

• The Persian orange falls into the category of bitter orange. These were first introduced to southern Europe in the 11th century and were cultivated in Italy and surrounding Mediterranean countries.

• In the 1500s the sweet variety was brought from India by Portuguese traders and have been grown ever since. Three familiar varieties of the sweet orange are readily available in most locations. The Valencia, the Blood orange and the navel orange are the most widely known.

• The Valencia is the best known juice orange. This variety originates from Spain and is a late season fruit. It is primarily used for juice production but also provides oranges during the part of the year navels are not available.

• Blood oranges were first cultivated in Sicily. The predominate difference in the blood oranges is the mutation in fruit pigmentation. The alteration of color that exists in the blood orange yields a slightly burgundy color to the juice. The flavor of the blood orange is very similar to oranges of other varieties, but has found a place in exotic Seville culinary creations. Since their discovery in Sicily, this variety spread around the world and is cultivated in other places.

• The naval orange is the most notable orange variety sold in the world. It is characterized by its sweet flavor and absence of seeds. The first navel orange was discovered in a monastery in Brazil in 1820. The mutation is distinct because a second orange is contained with in the skin of the first orange and grows at the bottom. The opening in the rind of the orange at the back end looks like the human navel thus its name. Other names for this variety are Riverside, Bahia and Washington oranges. The size of the segments are smaller for the second fruit than are the ones for the original fruit. 

History

The origin of oranges is not definitely known, but most experts believe that they originated in Southeast Asia. In fact, looking at a history of different languages, oranges are sometimes known as the Chinese Apple. This would seem to indicate that the orange was first discovered in China or perhaps in the north of India.

The historical evidence suggests that oranges were brought west by traders and found their way to Spain and Portugal before the 1500s. According to the records, Columbus took citrus trees with him to plant in the West Indies and Florida. All along the trading routes, sailors planted oranges and other citrus trees to battle scurvy while at sea. Specific documentation notes that in 1592, Ponce de Leon took orange trees to Florida for planting. They were introduced to Hawaii in 1792.

About Oranges

Botanically, oranges are considered a berry, as are all other citrus fruits. They develop from the single ovary of the plant and have many seeds contained within the fleshy part of the fruit. The seeds are called pits and the white inner side of the skin is called pith. Because all members of the Citrus genus are able to crossbreed with each other, the orange may be the result of a pomelo and a tangerine.

Many uses have been found for the orange, including eating the fruit plain because of its sweet flavor and using it as a culinary ingredient in many dishes that span cultures.