The Magic of Orange by Starlitenergies
The Orange, beautifully fragrant, stunningly coloured,
sunshine filled, juicy, feel good deliciousness that grace my fruit bowl,
cupboard, and my fridge all year round! The orange is a type of citrus fruit
(citrus x sinensis) in the family Rutaceae, a cousin of lemons, limes,
tangerines and grapefruit. We’re talking mostly about sweet orange as opposed
to bitter oranges (blood orange) who are citrus x aurantium.
Have you ever really looked at an orange? They typically
have a stringy core that contains the seeds, followed by a series of segments
that encase the juicy fleshy fruit, and then a thick skin protecting the flesh
and seeds from damage. If you want all the scientific names for each bit of the
orange check out: https://www.britannica.com/plant/orange-fruit
Oranges are my favourite fruit, and apparently are just
behind the apple in terms of fruits grown and consumed globally! Many people
start their morning with a glass of orange juice, me included. And toast with
orange marmalade holds fantastic memories of early mornings before school with
my grandfather.
A Journey Across the Globe
Orange trees originated in India, it’s said the wild
varieties are quite bitter, not inedible but not as delicious as the varieties
that have been cultivated. Some varieties being found in the south east of
India and possibly the island of Ceylon, whilst other smaller varieties may
have originated in forests in the north east of the country of Bangladesh.
Those smaller varieties seem to have been known to the Aryan people who were
responsible for the Vedic scripts of ancient India. 7000 years ago orange was
appearing in traditional dishes, mostly desserts but also the use of the peel
and juice to flavour rice and add a citrus tang to certain vegetable dishes.
Historians believe that around 2500 BC Chinese farmers began
setting aside land for orchards and growing oranges, apples, figs and a variety
of other tree hanging fruits. It’s thought the nobility and royalty loved the
orange so much that the farmers would compete with each other to grow ever
larger, sweeter and more perfectly rounded fruit.
The first time an orange was seen in Europe can be traced to
the Roman Empire, potentially around the time of the first century when Roman
traders were in regular contact with the Persians and the Axum kingdom in
present day Ethiopia, whose sailors were known to use the monsoon winds to
trade with the seafaring Tamil kingdoms of southern India and Ceylon, this
would have been around 150BC until the kingdoms collapse in 700 AD. Like in China,
the orange became popular amongst the noble and military classes of Roman
Europe who could afford such exotic luxuries.
Orchards began popping up in Northern Africa, from Libya to
Morocco from the 1st century AD. Initially they were owned by Roman settlers
and tended by slaves; the fruits had made it to the Mediterranean. The very
wealthy of the Med would still import from India until after the collapse of
the Roman Empire in the 6th Century and the growth of the Islamic Caliphate in
the 7th, when trading routes with the Tamil kingdoms were closed and the
orchards in Africa which were now controlled by Islamic lords traded towards
Baghdad and the lands of the Middle East.
During the 11th century in North Africa and Spain oranges
were once again imported into Europe, and seeds from Persia planted in orchards
throughout Al-Andaluz (most of southern Spain, southern Portugal and parts of
northern morocco). These oranges contained more pectin and a thicker skin and
are excellent for liqueurs, marmalades, compotes and extracting essential oil
for perfumes. The Seville orange is born!
Sweet oranges from Indian weren’t imported into Europe until
the 16th Century when Portuguese traders finally discovered a trading route
around the Cape of Good Hope to India.
Within a few years of their coming back to Europe, those
same sweet oranges were making the journey to the Americas with Spanish
explorers and conquistadors.
Orchards sprang up in Hispaniola in 1493 and in Florida in
1513 the year Juan Ponce de Leon who discovered modern day Florida first sailed
there so that future sailors would be able to protect themselves from scurvy
which is thought to be caused by an insufficient intake of vitamin C or
ascorbic acid which the orange is famous for!
To this day Florida is the second most productive orange
growing region in the world. The top spot goes to Brazil, who account for just
over half of all the world’s oranges, most of which are grown in the state of
Sao Paulo.
Health and Wellbeing
We all know the proverb “an apple a day”, but equally an
orange could be recommended. Ancient Chinese used orange in tea form to treat
breathing difficulties and improve energy levels. An orange has over 170
different phytochemicals and more than 60 flavonoids, many of which have been
shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and strong antioxidant effects.
We all know a balanced and varied diet is good for us, too
much of something can have risks to our health, but what are the possible
health benefits of orange? According to Medical News today they may help with:
Stroke – eating higher amounts of a compound found in citrus
fruit may lower Ischemic stroke risk in women.
Blood pressure – increasing potassium intake (found in
orange) may be just as important as low sodium diets when lowering blood
pressure.
Cancer – the antioxidant vitamin C can help in the combat
against the formation of free radicals known to cause cancer.
Heart Health – high in fibre, potassium, vitamin C and
choline support heart health.
Diabetes – higher fibre diets have lower blood glucose
levels.
Skin – vitamin C when in its natural form can help to fight
skin damage caused by sun and pollution, reduce wrinkles and improve overall
skin texture. Vitamin C plays a vital part in the formation of collagen which
supports the skin system.
Just the smell of orange improves my mood if I’m feeling a
bit off. Some believe orange is like a natural anti-depressant, but I wouldn’t
go so far as to recommend them to fight severe cases of low mood and
depression! Citrus fruits like orange have folate present in them which helps
the release of serotonin, which is like the brains happy chemical. Vitamin C
and the natural sugars in orange are also proven to give us a natural energy
boost which improves mood.
Colour psychology is being researched, it’s subjective but
researchers think that colours in the red spectrum can promote feelings of
warmth and comfort or hostility and anger in most people.
“Colours, like feathers, follow the changes of the
emotions,” artist Pablo Picasso.
The Colour Psychology of Orange for me personally:
- Orange is a combination of yellow and red and is considered a warming and energetic colour.
- Orange calls to mind feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, and creativity.
- Orange is often used to draw attention, traffic lights are amber for prepare, traffic cones are orange so they’re seen.
- I’ve seen a lot of sports teams around the world in orange.
- Orange is in the flicker of a flame, the setting sun and falling leaves of autumn. The beauty of orange in the natural world speaks to me on so many levels.
- Orange is heavily linked to Halloween and Samhain, probably another reason I love orange…
I love the season of the witch!!
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