Oranges

The finest and most highly prized marmalade is made from the Seville orange. © Michelle Chaplow
The finest and most highly prized marmalade is made from the Seville orange.

Oranges

Oranges are big business in Spain. Andalucia topping the charts in production ahead of Valencia since 2019. However, the “naranjo” (orange tree), its blossoms and its fruits have a long tradition in Andalucia with Moorish poets singing their praises in Islamic Spain and historians reminding us that these trees were also valued by Greeks and Romans who surely cultivated them in their Iberian colonies.

Citrus trees – and that includes lemons – are cultivated commercially mainly in the Andalucian provinces of Málaga, Seville, Granada and Huelva. However, you’ll find these trees in patios and farms throughout the region.

To really understand Andalucia, you must understand these precious trees and their fruits – both sweet and bitter versions. Here are further articles to guide your culinary and cultural explorations of oranges in Andalucia!

There´s a saying that Sevillanos are so astonished the British actually want to use their bitter oranges to make marmalade, that they reckon the pith is secretly used to make gunpowder. If you… More →

One of Seville’s most amazing attractions can be enjoyed free of charge as you walk the streets: more than 14,000 bitter orange trees that decorate the “calles” and infuse this charming city with… More →

One of the first things you may notice when shopping for food in Andalucia is how fresh and affordable the fresh produce is. Oranges are a special treat with fresh crops supplying supermarkets and… More →

There´s a saying that Sevillanos are so astonished the British actually want to use their bitter oranges to make marmalade, that they reckon the pith is secretly used to make gunpowder.

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