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Orange (Citrus sinensis [L.] Osbeck)

Synonyms

pharmaceuticalPericarpium Aurantii, Cortex Aurantii fructus dulcis
botanicalCitrus aurantium ssp. sinensis, Citrus aurantium
AlbanianNerënxë, Portokalli; Lëvore nerënxe (orange peel)
Amharicኦራንጅ, ብርቱካን
Bertukan, Birtukan, Oranje
ApataniKomla
Arabicبرتقال
بُرْتُقَال
Burtuqal
Aramaicܢܐܪܢܓ
Narang
ArmenianՆարինջ, Նարնջածաղիկ
Narinch, Narinjh, Narenjhatsaghik
Assameseকমলা, সুমথিৰা, সুমথিৰা টেঙা
Komola, Xumthira, Xumthira-tenga
AzeriNarınc, Portağal
Нарынҹ, Портағал
BasqueLaranja, Limoi, Limonondo
BelarusianАпельсін
Apeĺsin
Bengaliকমলা, কমলালেবু, মালটা
Komala, Komalalebu, Malta
Bodoकमला, कम्ला, नारेङ
Kamla, Nareng
BretonOrañjezenn, Orañjez dous, Orañjez c’hwerv (Citrus sinensins ssp. amara)
BulgarianПортокал
Portokal
BurmeseThanbaya, Shonsi
CatalanTaronger doç
Chakma𑄇𑄧𑄟𑄧𑄣
Kamala, Komola
Chinese
(Cantonese)
[cháang]
Chaang
Chinese
(Mandarin)
光柑 [guāng gān], 甜橙 [tián chéng]
Guang gan, Tian cheng
Copticⲙⲁⲛⲙⲟⲛ
Manmon
Croatian(Slatka) naranča
CzechPomeranč
DanishAppelsin
Dhivehiފޮނިލިބޯ
Foniliboa
DutchAppelsien, Sinaasappel
Dzongkhaཚེ་ལུ་, ཚལ་ལུ་
Tshelu, Tsal-lu
EsperantoOranĝo
EstonianApelsinipuu
Farsiپرتقال
Porteghal
FinnishAppelsiini
FrenchOrange (douce)
GaelicOrainds, Òr-mheas, Òr ubhal
GaroNarang, Komila
Georgianფორთოხალი, ნარინჯის
Portokhali, Narinjis, Phortoxali, Portoxali
GermanOrange, Apfelsine
GreekΧρυσομηλιά, Πορτοκάλι
Chrisomilia, Portokali
Gujaratiનારંગી, સંતરા, સંતરુ
Narangi, Santara, Santru
Hebrewתפוז, תפוח זהב
תַּפּוּז, תַּפּוּחַ זָהָב
Tapuz, Tappuah zahav
Hindiमौसम्बी, नारंगी, सन्तरा
Mausambi, Narangi, Santara
HmarSerthlum
HungarianNarancs
IcelandicAppelsína, Glóaldin
IndonesianJeruk (manis)
IrishOráiste
ItalianArancia
Japaneseオレンジ
Orenzi, Orenji
Kannadaಕಿತ್ತಲೆ
Kittale, Naranga
Kashmiriسنترہ
Santara
KazakhАпельсин
Apelsïn
KhasiSoh ñiamtra
Korean등자나무, 귤나무, 오렌지, 스위트 오렌지
Tungja-namu, Deungja-namu, Kyul-lamu, Orenji, Suwitu orenji
Laoໝາກກ້ຽງ, ໝາກກ້ຽງຫວານ, ໝາກກ້ຽງນ້ອຍ, ສົ້ມຮົດ, ໝາກກ້ຽງເຊີວີເຢີ
Mak kiang, Mak kiang hwan, Mak kiang noi, Som hot, Mak kiang soewiyoe (Citrus sinensis ssp. amara)
LatinCitrangulum
LatvianApelsīns
LithuanianApelsinai, Apelsininis citrinmedis
MacedonianПортокал
Portokal
Maithiliसमतोला, संतरा
Samtola, Santara
MalayJeruk
Malayalamമധുരനാരങ്ങ, നാരകം, ഓറഞ്ച്
Madhura-Naranga, Naragam, Oranchu
MalteseLarinġ
Manipuri (Meitei-Lon)কোমলা
ꯀꯣꯝꯂꯥ
Komla
Marathiमोसंबी
Mosambi
MizoSerthlum
MongolianЖүрж
Zhürzh
Naga (Khezha)Kekhrü Methiche
Naga (Mao)Komla
Naga (Tangkhul)Komla
Nepaliसुन्त्तला
Sunttala
Newari
(Nepalbhasa)
सन्तरासी
Santarasi
NorwegianAppelsin
Oriyaକମଳା, ନାରଙ୍ଗା
Kamala, Naranga
PolishPomarańcza słodka
PortugueseLaranja, Laranja doce
Punjabiਸੰਤਰਾ
Sangtra
RomanianPortocal (tree), Portocală (fruit)
RussianАпельсин
Apelsin
SanskritNagaaruka, Naranga
SerbianНаранча, Неранџа, Поморанча, Поморанџа
Naranča, Nerandža, Pomoranča, Pomorandža
Sinhalaදොඩම්
Dodam
SlovakPomaranč sladký
Slovenian(Sladka) pomaranča
SpanishNaranja, Naranja china
SwedishApelsin
TajikАфлесун
Aflesin
Tamilஆரஞ்சு, நாகருகம், நாரியங்கம்
Aranchu, Nagarugam, Nariyagam
Teluguకిచ్చిలిపండు, కమలాకాయ
Kicchilipandu, Naranji, Kamalakaya
Thaiส้ม, ส้มเกลี้ยง
Som, Som kliang
Tibetanཚ་ལུ་མ་
Tsha lu ma, Tsaluma
Tigrinyaብርትኳን
Bertkuan
TurkishPortakal, Turunç
TurkmenApelsin, Narynç
Апелсин, Нарынч
UkrainianАпельсин
Apelsyn
Urduنارنگی, نارنج, سنترا
Narangi, Naranj, Santra
UzbekPo’rtahol
Пўртаҳол
VietnameseCam
Cam
WelshOren
Yiddishמאַראַנץ
Marants
Synonyms for bitter orange (Citrus aurantium ssp. amara [L.] Engl.)

pharmaceuticalCortex Aurantii amara
Arabicنارنج, زهر
Naranj; Zahr (flower)
BasqueLarando
CatalanTaronger agre
Chinese
(Mandarin)
酸橙 [suān chéng]
Suan cheng
CroatianGorka naranča
Dhivehiނާރިނގު
Naarin'gu
DutchBittere sinaasappel, Oranje-appel
EnglishBigarade, Seville orange, Sour orange
EsperantoBigarado
EstonianPomerantsipuu
Farsiنارنج
Narenj
FinnishPomeranssi, Hapanappelsiini
FrenchBigarde, Bigaradier, Orange amère
GermanBitterorange, Pomeranze
GreekΝεράτζι; Νερατζιά
Neratzi; Neratzia (tree)
Hebrewתפוז מריר, חושחש
תַּפּוּז מָרִיר, חוּשׁחָשׁ
Tapuz marir, Hushhash, Chushchash
HungarianKeserű narancs, Savanyú narancs, Sevillai narancs
IcelandicBeiskjuappelsína
ItalianArancio amaro, Arancio forte; Chinotto (C. aurantium var. myrtifolia)
Japanese, 臭橙
だいだい
ビターオレンジ, ダイダイ, キコク, キジツ, サワーオレンジ
Bita-orenji, Kikoku, Kijitu, Sawa-orenji; Daidai (C. aurantium var. daidai)
Korean비터 오렌지, 광귤
Biteo orenji, Pito orenji; Gwang-gyul, Kwang-kyul (C. aurantium var. daidai)
LithuanianKarčiavaisis citrinmedis
MacedonianТурунка
Turunka
PolishPomaranćza gorzka
PortugueseLaranja azeda, Laranja-amarga
RussianБигарад, Померанец
Bigarad, Pomeranets
Serbian Наранча горка
Naranča gorka
SlovenianGrenka pomaranča
SpanishBigarde, Naranja amarga, Naranja agria
Tamilநரந்தம், நரந்தை, நாரத்தை
Narandam, Narandai, Narattai
VietnameseBổng, Dại dại hoa
Bong, Dai dai hoa
Yiddishביטערע מאַראַנץ, כושכאַש
Bitere marants, Khushkhosh
Synonyms for bergamot orange (Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia)

pharmaceuticalPericarpium Bergamottae
ArabicLemun adalya barnati
DutchBergamot sinaasappel, Bergamot
EsperantoBergamoto
EstonianBergamotipuu
FinnishBergamotti
FrenchBergamottier
GermanBergamotte
GreekΠεργαμόντο
Pergamonto
Hebrewברגמוט
בֵּרגָמוּט
Bergamut
HungarianBergamottnarancs
ItalianBergamotto
Japaneseベルガモット
Berugamotto
Korean버가못
Pogamos, Beogamos
LithuanianBergaminis citrinmedis
RomanianPergamută
RussianБергамот
Bergamot
SlovenianBergamot
TurkishBergamot
Yiddishבערגאַמאָט־מאַראַנץ
Bergamot-Marants
Citrus aurantium: Orange succade
Candied orange peel
Citrus sinensis: Orange
Ripe orange and orange flower.
Citrus sinensis: Dried bitter oranges
Dried bitter oranges
Note

The Indo­nesian term jeruk may equally apply to various citrus fruits (lemon, lime, orange).

Used plant part

Fruit peel (peri­carp); the fruit juice is also a valuable food additive. Candied orange peel (orange succade) is prepared from the thick-skinned bitter orange, a closely related species (see below). Extracts and distillates obtained from orange blossoms play an important rôle in perfume industry. Orange blossom water (neroli water) is an aqueous distillate popular for flavouring sweets and drinks.

Plant family

Rutaceae (citrus family).

Sensory quality

The peel is strongly aromatic, with a pleasant, sweet odour, but a bitter taste. The fruit juice is mild, balanced sweet–sour. Orange blossom water does not resemble ripe oranges much, yet its strong fragrance is very pleasant.

The Sevilla orange, also known as bitter or sour orange, has a diverging taste that is more acidic and also slightly bitter, comparable to grapefruits. See mango for more on sour spices.

Citrus sinensis: Myrtleleaved orange
Myrtle leaved orange with fruits
Citrus aurantium var. myrtifolia: Myrtle leaved orange
Myrtle leaved orange, a variety of bitter orange
Main constit­uents

The pericarp contains max. 2.5% essential oil (mainly limonene and citral) and several bitter flavone glycos­ides: Neo­hesperidin and naringin, whose sugar component is neo­hesperid­ose, and rutin (see also rue), erio­citrin and hesperidin, whose sugar component is rutinose. Both sugars are di­saccharids of glucose and rhamnose (6-desoxy­mannose).

Furthermore, orange contains the triterpene derivative limonin, which is contains in the plant as a tasteless monolactone. Its slow reaction to a bitter dilactone is the reason why orange juice turns bitter after some time.

Carotenoids are responsible for the orange colour of the fruit skin.

The dark red colour of the so-called blood orange (Citrus sinensis cv. Sanguinelli, Citrus sinensis cv. Moro) is due to pigments of anthocyanin type (delphidin and others). Blood oranges were first grown in Sicily around 1850 from plants imported from China; even today, they are hardly grown on commercial scale elsewhere.

Orange leaves contain an essential oil in which the two terpenoids linalool and β-elemene were found as main constituents.

The essential oil from the flowers (neroli oil; only 0.2%) is of much more complex composition: Linalyl acetate (up to 20%) is the main component, furthermore limonene, several terpene hydrocarbons and terpene alcohols and the terpene ketone jasmone have been identified.

Fortunella margarita: Oval kumquat tree
Kumquat tree with ripe fruits
Citrus sinensis: Orange tree
A small orange tree, bearing fruits and flowers at the same time

The oil of the berga­mot orange contains about 50% limonene, 35 to 45% linalyl acetate and 20 to 30% linalool; further­more, 5% of the photo­sensitizer bergaptene (a furano-coumarin) have been found.

Origin

As with most other citrus fruits, the descendance of oranges is not known exactly. Despite the earlier belief that assumed a Chinese origin, it is now generally believed that oranges originate from Northern or North Eastern India.

The first or­anges were brought to Europe by the Moors, probably already in the 9.th century. They were first grown in the Arabic realms in Sicily and Spain. These oranges, however, were not the sweet oranges chiefly known today, but the bitter oranges, also called sour oranges or Seville oranges, after the city of Sevilla which was the center of Arabic culture on the Iberic peninsular.

Sweet oranges have been introduced half a millennium later, probably by Portuguese traders.

Citrus sinensis: Orange flower with bee pollinator
Orange flower
Citrus sinensis: Orange
Orange flowers and fruit

www.botanikus.de

Etymology

Most names of orange in European tongues ultimately derive from Sanskrit nagaruka [नागरुक] or naranga [नारंग] which was trans­mitted via Arabic (naranjah [نرنجة]) and Persian (Modern Farsi narenj [نارنج]). The word is, however, not native to Sanskrit, but has been borrowed from some other, unrelated tongue; it has been speculated that the ancient source language belonged to the Austro–Asiatic language family, but another explanation tries to establish a link to a Dravidian root fragrant. Compare Tamil narandam [நரந்தம்] bitter orange, nagarukam [நாகருகம்] sweet orange and nari [நாரி] fragrance.

Some names for orange in modern languages of North India still are very similar to the Sanskrit term, e. g., Hindi and Urdu narangi [नारंगी, نارنگی]. However, the common term for orange in Hindi is santara [सन्तरा].

European languages have modified the Sanskrit name in various degrees: While Spanish naranja and Serbian narandža [наранџа] orange as well as Greek neratzi [νεράτζι] bitter orange preserve the original sounds quite faithfully, the word was much modified by subsequent loans to other European tongues. It first lost its initial n (Italian arancia) and then changed the new initial vowel under the influence of French or gold, ending up with, for example, with English orange. Other members of that series are Portuguese laranja, Maltese larinġ, Yiddish marants [מאַראַנץ] and, from the Far East, Japanese and Korean orenji [オレンジ, 오렌지]. Cf. also Turkmen narynç and Armenian narinch [նարինջ], possibly directly borrowed from Persian.

Citrus sinensis: Orange branch
Branch with ripe oranges

www.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de

Citrus aurantium: Bitter orange
Bitter orange

http://www.isolotto.com

Orages are al­so asso­ciated with gold in other lan­guages: Greek chriso­milia [χρυσο­μηλιά], literally means golden apple, corre­sponding to Old Greek chrysos [χρυσός] gold and melon [μῆλον] apple. Virtually the same expression in Latin, pomum aurantium golden apple, lies behind many European names of bitter orange, e.g, German Pomeranze, Finnish pomeranssi and Russian pomeranets [померанец]. In some Slavonic languages, that name actually means the common orange, especially when used together with an adjective sweet, e. g. Slovenian sladka pomaranča.

Also the old botanical species name aurantium relates to aurum, gold, whereas the modern species name sinensis is a latinization of China (older form: Sina). Quite a large number of names in tongues of Northern Europe mean Chinese apple, e. g., Latvian apelsīns, Icelandic appelsína or Belarusian apelsin [апельсін], The German name Apfelsine is used in Northern Germany only. Note also the Dutch variant sinaasappel China-apple.

Some South East European tongues name orange after Portugal, which was formerly the main source of imports of sweet oranges. Examples are Bulgarian portokal [портокал], Greek portokali [πορτοκάλι], Romanian portocală and Georgian portokhali [ფორთოხალი]. Also in South Italian dialects (Neapolitan), orange is named portogallo or purtualle, literally the Portuguese ones. Related names can also be found in non-European languages: Arabic al-burtuqal [البرتقال], Farsi porteghal [پرتقال], Uzbek po’rtaxol [пўртаҳол] and Tigrinya birtekwan [ብርትኳን].

The origin of bergamot is Turkish: beğ armudu (also begamodi) lord’s pear. Old Turkish beg lord, ruler is the source of modern Turkish bey known as part of personal names. Cf. also the female form, begum Lady, Queen.

For the derivation of the genus name Citrus see lemon.

Selected Links

Ilkas und Ullis Kochecke: Orange (rezkonv.de via archive.org) Ilkas und Ullis Kochecke: Pomeranze (rezkonv.de via archive.org) Chinese Herb Database: Unripe Orange chemikalienlexikon.de: Linalool Floridata.com: Sweet Orange University of Florida: Sweet Orange Citrus Online Buch: Die Apfelsine Citrus Online Buch: Die Pomeranze Orange (purdue.edu) Sour orange (purdue.edu) Mandarin orange (purdue.edu) Sorting Citrus names (www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au) Transport Information Service: Oranges Transport Information Service: Mandarines Transport Information Service: Clementines Recipe: Au Larm (recipes.chef2chef.net) Recept: Au Larm (lekkeroosters.nl) Recipe: Sauce Maltaise (discoversandiego.com) Recipe: Off Tapuzim [עוף תפוזים] (Israeli Orange Chicken) (www.recipehound.com) Recipe: Homemade candied orange or lemon peel (www.vinetreeorchards.com) Recipe: Orange Marmalade (ppewww.ph.gla.ac.uk) Recipe: Sauce Cumberland (www.cooks.com)


Citrus sinensis: Orange branch
Orange trees bear flowers and fruits simultaneously

www.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de

Citrus sinensis: Himalayan oranges
Orange flowers and fruit
Orange is cul­tivated world-wide (where climate permits) as a fruit and as source of orange juice, which is enjoyed fresh and processed into various beverages. Nevertheless, orange is also important as a flavouring for sweet and salty foods. Three different parts of the plant can be used as a spice: Orange blossoms, orange juice and orange zest, which is the outermost, orange-coloured layer of the peel. These three have different flavour, and cannot be used interchangeably.

Most important is the grated pericarp (peel), which is popular for European sweets and cakes, but is also worth trying for meat and fish dishes. Care must be taken not to overdose, otherwise dishes may taste perfumed and bitter. In Provence (Southern France), the spice mixture bouquet garni (see parsley) is usually enhanced with a piece of orange peel, often bitter orange which has a finer flavour.

Orange peel is, similar to lemon peel, capable of softening other taste impressions. Yet it is suited not only for fish but also for meat; especially the strong taste of viscera is made more pleasant. Again, careful dosage is essential. See tarragon for sauce maltaise, a butter-based sauce flavoured with fresh orange peel.

In the Far East, or­ange is not much used as a spice. Some Chi­nese recipes, how­ever, use orange pulp, orange juice and parti­cularly orange zest (or tangerine zest, which tastes very similar) to flavour meats; typically, the flavouring also includes hot chiles and numbing Sichuan pepper. A great example to illustrate this usage is au larm, a spicy beef stew from the highlands of Sichuan. Coarsely cubed beef is simmered in little water for two or three hours together with star anise, slices of fresh ginger and orange peel; a half hour before ready, soy sauce is added together with crushed Sichuan pepper and black pepper shortly fried in little oil. Au larm tastes very spicy and aromatic but not fiery–hot.

Citrus aurantium: Ripe bitter orange fruits
Ripe bitter oranges

Chinese mas­ter sauces (see cassia) are often flavoured with fresh or dried orange peel. Tangerine peel is part of the Japanese spice mixture shichimi togarashi (see Sichuan pepper); it can be substituted by orange peel, although the latter is slightly more bitter.

Orange blossom water (ma (az) zahr, ma (al) zer, ma (al) zaher or any related spelling [ماء زهر, ماء الزهر] often sold as flower water) is a fragrant product made by distilling (bitter) orange buds and flowers; it is most popular in North Africa and West Asia, where it is mostly used for salads and very sweet desserts. In Lebanon, it is diluted with hot water and sugared to yield a digestive (qahwa baida [قهوة بيضاء] white coffee). It is worth trying as an substitute for rose water in European sweets; its unique fragrance may also give an unusual touch to fruit drinks, syrups and ice cream.

Citrus sinensis: Cross-section of Sevilla orange
Cut bitter orange fruits

Bitter or­ange is im­por­tant as the source of candied orange peel (orange suc­cade), which is essential in Euro­pean baking, and enjoys also high popu­larity in England, e. g. in form of marmalade, a kind of jam made from bitter oranges. Another British specialty containing bitter oranges is the famous Sauce Cumberland, whose recipe goes back to the 18.th century: Finely chopped bitter orange peel, orange juice, red wine and various fruit jellies are mixed together; salt, black pepper and pungent mustard paste are added up to taste. With its spicy and fruity taste, this sauce fits perfectly to venison. See also zedoary on the topic of bitter spices.

British cooks sometimes use orange juice as a flavouring for meat stews, particularly venison. There are also Chinese (Cantonese) recipes taking orange juice as the basis of sweet–sour sauces to be used for stir-fried meat. Latin American cookery often uses the acidic juice of bitter oranges. It is commonly employed in Caribbean or Brazil recipes, but it enjoys the highest popularity in the Maya cooking (Yucatán peninsular in Southern México). See annatto for the Mayan meat marinades based on bitter orange juice (recado). As bitter oranges can be difficult to come by, most cookbooks suggest a mixture of sweet orange juice and lime juice as a substitute, but I think that fresh grapefruit juice is even a better choice.

Citrus sinensis: Orange tree
Orange tree

www.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de

Essential oils obtained from bitter orange are sold as Oil of Neroli (most expensive; distilled from the blossoms), Oil of Petitgrain (from the leaves) or Oil of Orange (from the pericarp); only the latter’s fragrance is typical orange-like. These products are mostly called for by the perfume industry.

Last but not least, bergamot orange (a variety of bitter orange) must be mentioned. The extremely aromatic fruit peel is only rarely used for cooking (though worth trying), but more important to flavour tea; the British specialty Earl Grey owes its aroma to bergamot orange peel. This fruit must not be confused with the so-called bergamot, a close relative of lemon balm.

Orange fragrance is, in the plant kingdom, much more uncommon than lemon fragrance. Of all plants discussed in this dictionary, only chameleon plant could be named. Furthermore, orange-scented cultivars of some herbs have been bred: peppermint and thyme.



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