How to cook orange

Information for orange in our free cooking ingredients collection.

Orange

The orange is a reddish yellow, round fruit of the citrus family with a rich, juicy pulp that varies in flavor from very sweet to sour. The pulp of the orange is a segmented ball, each segment wrapped tightly in a thin semi-opaque membrane called the albedo. The flesh is encased in a sturdy, glossy skin composed of two layers. The outer layer, called the zest, has a pungent but pleasant fragrance, and the inner layer, called the pith, is white, spongy, and bitter. Although some varieties are seedless, most have seeds.

Family - Rutaceae
Scientific name - Citrus aurantium L., Citrus sinensis L.
Common name - orange, sweet orange, sour orange

High in vitamin C
A good source of folate and fiber
Contains antioxidants that promote health

Varieties

There are two common types of oranges: the sweet orange, which is the more common, and the sour orange. The sour orange has a thick skin and is used predominantly in making marmalades and liqueurs. The sweet varieties are prized both for eating and for their juice. The two most common varieties of sweet orange are the navel and the Valencia. The navel orange has a thick, easy-to-peel skin, is seedless, and has a mild flavor. Valencia oranges are more commonly known as juice oranges because of their abundant juice content and thinner skin, which makes them easy to squeeze. Other sweet oranges include the blood orange, with its red pulp, and the Jaffa, imported from Israel.

Origin and botanical facts

The name orange, “naranga” in Sanskrit, comes from the Tamil “naru” and means “fragrant”. The orange is a native of Southeast Asia. The seeds and seedlings of this golden fruit were brought to the New World by European conquerors around 1520. By the 1820s, the orange was a flourishing crop in Florida. Oranges survived the severe freeze during the winter of 1894-1895 to become the most popular fruit in the United States after apples and bananas.

Oranges grow best in areas that have a subtropical to semitropical climate. The orange tree is a lush evergreen that thrives in warm climates and can simultaneously produce flowers, fruit, and foliage. For this reason, it is nicknamed the “fertility tree”. When in full bloom, the tree has a fragrant smell.

How to cook orange

Oranges may keep up to 7 days in the refrigerator or in cool room temperatures in ventilated areas. Skin color is not a good guide to quality because some oranges are artificially colored to preserve shelf life and to enhance appeal and marketability.

The fruit is a great snack, although most Americans consume oranges in the form of juice. Oranges are a versatile cooking ingredient. The skin is used commercially in candy and is the base for various liqueurs and cordials.

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