Orange is a very ancient agricultural crop. Depending on the species, the orange fruit can taste sweet or sour. Oranges, which everyone is accustomed to seeing on store shelves, are classified as "Sweet Orange". Tinctures are made from sour orange fruits, and aromatic essential oil is extracted from bergamot orange.
Orange sweet
People have been growing oranges for thousands of years. For the first time, orange cultivation began in China. The Latin name of the orange Citrus sinensis is translated as “Chinese Citrus” (in the Russian version this species is designated as “Sweet orange”).
Orange is a hybrid of pomelo and mandarin. It was brought to Europe by Portuguese sailors. At first, it was grown in greenhouses, and then they learned to cultivate it in the open field. Now oranges are grown all over the Mediterranean coast.
All oranges that are found on store shelves are of the sweet orange type. Its fruits are round, with juicy, sweet and sour pulp. They contain many vitamins, pectin and other biologically active substances. The bulk of the sweet orange harvest is sold to shops or to make juice. Brazil is the world leader in the cultivation of this fruit. According to the 2009 statistics, Brazil produced over 17,000 tons of oranges (for comparison, Morocco - only 1,200 tons).
The most popular sweet orange varieties are Vietnamese Bu (or "Royal Orange"), Brazilian Washington Navel and Spanish Valencia.
Sour orange
Oranges can be more than just sweet. Orange, or "Sour orange", is distinguished by spherical or flattened fruits, the flesh of which is bright orange and contains little sugars. Sour orange is grown in South America, India and the Mediterranean.
The leaves, shoots and fruits of this plant are rich in essential oils. The sour orange blossom oil has a very pleasant smell and bitter taste. Tinctures are made from the peel of unripe orange fruits, which are used in medicine and the alcoholic beverage industry.
Orange bergamot
By crossing an orange with a citron, people got another kind of orange - the bergamot orange. This fruit got its name thanks to the Italian city of Bergamo, where it was first grown. Bergamot fruits are pear-shaped. Their flesh has a sour taste. Now the main production of bergamot orange is concentrated in Italy, Brazil and Argentina.
An essential oil with a bitter taste and a very pleasant aroma is obtained from the peel of the bergamot fruit. It is used in perfumery, medicine, aromatherapy and confectionery.
