BITTER ORANGE

CITRUS X AURANTIUM

OVER-INDULGENCE AND OVER-CONSUMPTION BRINGS US TO THE THIRD CIRCLE, THAT OF GLUTTONY. The colour orange has long been associated with this sin, and it is this which has taken us to the town of Imperia in the Ligurian coast to pick our oranges. We harvest them a few weeks early, while they are still green and bitter, and like to think that this will help to keep us and you from succumbing to this deadly sin.

Bitter oranges arrived in Liguria with Genose seamen who learnt to apreciate them in the Arabian Mediterranean coast of Morroco, Tunisia and Lebanon. By the 16th century their fame had spread and had come to be known as the Ligurian Gardens of the Hesperides. Today, the essence of the oranges is found throughout the region, from its use in the local cuisine to its extraction for the making of perfumes.

FOLKLORE - The word Orange to define the colour was only first used in the English language in 1542. until then it was referred to as yellow-red. One century later, the nobility of England had developed a taste for for exotic fruits, and it was in vogue to won an orangery as a means of showing one’s wealth.

OTHER USES: Bitter oranges are often used in Caribbean cuisine marinades. The Mojo Criollo recipe below is a signature Cuban marinade that will infuse your next BBQ with all the flavour and character of this amazing citrus..