ORANGES AND CITRUS FRUIT – VALENCIA

The conveyor belts do not stop. They move through the huge sheds in endless loops, transporting oranges, satsumas, and clementines. It is November, and therefore high season for citrus fruit. Every day farmers deliver freshly harvested produce to the loading stations at the Valencian cooperatives.

Here the fruit is washed and then packed in bags and crates according to variety and size. The trucks are already waiting outside to take the fruit to various European countries. Many producers also export to the U.S.A. and Canada.

According to tradition the first oranges are supposed to have arrived in the eastern Mediterranean region with Alexander the Great’s caravan (356-323 BC). The Arabs cultivated the bitter orange as an ornamental plant, and as Islam spread, it reached Spain, where it became famous as the Seville orange.

The recent history of oranges in Europe began at the end of the 18th century when a catholic priest in Carcagente, near Valencia, laid out the first commercially exploitable orange groves. The results were so encouraging that other plantations quickly sprung up. Within a few years 7400 acres (3000 hectares) of uncultivated barren land had been irrigated and planted with orange trees. By the early 19th century the area had already increased tenfold.

Today citrus plantations stretch along the Mediterranean coast from Catalonia to Andalusia. The main areas of cultivation are the Valencia and Murcia regions. The large number of varieties means that harvesting can take place from October through July More than 2.2 million tons (2 million tonnes) of oranges were harvested throughout the country in the 1996/1997 season. Spain grows the largest number of different varieties in the world.

These varieties differ in ripening time, storage time, colour, juice content, flavour, and taste. The most famous are the various navel oranges (Navel, Navelina, Newhall, and Navel Late). They owe their name to the visible “navel” at the end where the blossom was. As well as oranges, different varieties of satsuma, clementine, and mandarin are cultivated in Valencia. The latter have almost disappeared
from the market because of their many seeds.

The seedless satsumas with their flatter shape and the bright orange, sharp clementines sell better. Lemons, limes, and the fashionable limequats and kumquats also grow here.

MYSTICISM SURROUNDING THE ORANGES

In spring, when the orange groves are in blossom, a bewitching fragrance fills the air. So it is not surprising that the coastal area south of Valencia bears the name Costa del Azahar, “Coast of Orange Blossom.” Sailors are supposed to have been able to smell the fragrance of their native oranges up to ten nautical miles off Valencia. The Roman scholar Pliny the Elder lauded the healing power of oranges in his Natural History, while an old Chinese tradition maintains that the evergreen trees bring their owners luck. The tree, with its fragrant blossom, also played an important role for the Moors. It was one of the three basic components when creating a garden – in addition to colourful mosaics and gushing ornamental fountains. However, in those days orange blossom was not only used for decoration. lt was also used during religious ceremonies and for preparing dishes. The Jews as well as the Arabs extolled the healing and invigorating effect of orange blossom honey. Juice from the blossom obtained by fermentation was used as a perfume and medicine. The harmonizing and very stimulating effect of orange blossom has been rediscovered in recent years in the new field of aromatherapy, which uses fragrances to aid healing.

Cooking with Citrus Fruit

PECHUGA DE POLLO A LA NARANJA – Chicken breasts with oranges

4 chicken breast fillets, skinned and boned
Salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive 0il
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tsp sugar
juice of 3 oranges
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup/125 ml white wine
Orange slices to garnish

Season the chicken breast fillets with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a deep pan and fry the chicken breasts on both sides until golden brown; then remove and keep warm. Brown, the diced carrot and onion in the meat juices. Add the orange and lime juice and pour in the white wine. Let the sauce boil down a little to intensify the flavours. Purée in a blender, then season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts in the sauce and simmer, covered, on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Serve garnished with orange slices.

RAPE AL LIMON – Monkfish medallions in lemon sauce

1 clove of garlic
Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly milled pepper
1 cup/250 ml dry white wine
4 monkfish medallions, weighing about 5 oz/150 g each
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp capers
Lemon slices to garnish

Peel the garlic and crush using a mortar and pestle with the lemon rind, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix this paste with the white wine. Fry the monkfish medallions in the oil in a pan on a medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Pour the wine sauce over and leave to boil down a little on a low heat; finally heat the capers in the sauce. Serve on a warmed platter with lemon slices.

ENSALADA DE NARANJAS – Orange salad

2 large oranges
3 ½ oz/100 g black olives
Juice of 1 pink grapefruit
Juice of 1 orange
4 tbsp fruity olive 0il
Mint leaves to garnish

Carefully peel the oranges, being careful to remove the pith completely Cut the oranges into thin segments and arrange in a dish or on dessert plates. Place the olives on top. Mix the orange and grapefruit juice together and pour over the oranges. Leave to marinate. Before serving drizzle olive oil over and garnish with mint leaves.

PATO A LA NARANJA – Duck in orange sauce

I duck, weighing about 4 ½ lb:/2 kg
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup/250 freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup/125 ml white wine
1 tbsp honey
2 1/2 tbsp brandy
orange slices to garnish

Wash and dry the duck; then rub with salt and pepper. Prick the breast and legs several times. Place on the rack of the roasting pan and cook in a preheated oven at 390 °F/ 200 °C for about 1 hour. Halfway through the cooking time turn the duck over, and then coat with olive oil every 10 minutes. Take the roasted duck out of the oven and keep warm on a serving plate. Pour the meat juices through a sieve, discard the fat, and bring to a boil with the orange juice and white wine. Stir in the honey and brandy, and let the sauce thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the duck, decorate with a garnish of orange slices, and serve immediately

FLAN DE NARANJA – Orange crème caramel

1 ½ cups/300 g sugar
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
Grated rind of orange
2 ½ cups/600 freshly squeezed orange juice.

Boil half the sugar and 1/2 cup/ 125 ml water to form a golden brown caramel. Pour the caramel into 4 individual ramekins, tilting the ramekins so that the bottoms and sides are evenly covered. Mix the eggs, egg yolk, and orange rind with the remaining sugar, but do not beat so much that it becomes frothy Now bring the orange juice to a boil; then leave to cool a little and begin stirring into the egg mixture. Pour this mixture through a fine sieve and divide between the ramekins. Cook in a bain-marie in a preheated oven at 300 °F /150 °C for about 50 minutes. Check that the water does not evaporate; top up if necessary. Leave to cool and refrigerate overnight. Before serving briefly immerse the base of each ramekin in hot water and turn the dessert out onto a plate.

Fruit with Bill & Sheila
_____________________________________________________________________
If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest. This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information)

Return from oranges to Home Page