Citrus Fruit Citrus fruits have been cultivated in an ever-widening area since ancient times; the best-known examples of course are oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit. Citrus fruits are notable for their fragrance, partly due to flavonoids and limonoids (which in turn are terpenes) contained in the rind, and most are very juice-laden. Citrus fruit juice contains a high quantity of citric acid giving them their characteristic sharp flavour. Citrus fruit is eaten fresh or pressed for juice or preserved in marmalade and pickles and are also often used in various types of desserts including custard, ice cream and yogurt. They are also a good source of vitamin C. Orange Orange blossoms and fruits from the Naranjo (Orange Tree) have a long tradition in Andalucía. With Moorish poets constantly singing their praises during the time of Al-Andalus. Historians remind us that these orange trees were also valued by the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans, who surely cultivated them on the Iberian Peninsula too Nowadays citrus trees are mainly cultivated (for commercial purposes) in the provinces of Granada, Huelva, Malaga and Sevilla. However, orange trees can be found on many patios, alongside roads in towns and villages and in farms throughout Andalucía. Sweet Oranges – The best places to get locally grown sweet oranges in Andalucía is at the municipal or local markets, where fresh produce are brought in daily (or weekly) from the surrounding countryside. Also, on some country roads, there may be homemade produce stands or even single sellers waiting by the roadside with sacks of fresh oranges. Bitter Oranges – It may be dismaying to see oranges lying in the streets, just waiting to be swept away, but in fact the fruit of the Citrus Aurantium (Bitter Orange) is so bitter and it should not be eaten fresh. However, the fruit, along with the leaves and flowers are perfect for making marmalade because they have a rather higher pectin content than sweet oranges. Lemons The production of lemons is limited to a small number of countries and regions because of the extreme sensitivity that lemon trees have to low temperatures. Lemons are used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world, primarily for its juice, although the pulp and rind (zest) are also used in cooking and baking. The juice of the lemon is about 5% to 6% citric acid, which gives lemons a sour taste. The distinctive sour taste of lemon juice makes it a key ingredient in foods and drinks such as lemonade. The lemon was first brought to Spain by the Moors and has since become a traditional Spanish crop, selling to both the domestic and international markets. In Spain, the crop of lemons is concentrated in just a few areas, including the province of Almeria in Andalucía, along with the province of Murcia in Murcia and the province of Alicante in Valencia. Limes Limes are also grown in quantity in Spain, although Spain is second to Italy among west European producers of these fruits. Limes are typically round, green, about 3 centimetres to 6 centimetres in diameter and contain a sour (acidic) pulp. There are several species of citrus trees whose fruits are called limes, including the key lime, Persian lime, kaffir lime, and desert lime. Limes are a good source of vitamin C and are often used to accent the flavours of foods and drinks. They are grown year-round and are usually smaller and less sour than lemons. Grapefruit Grapefruit (as with Limes) are also grown in quantity in Spain and Spain is also second to Italy among west European producers of these fruits. Grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour to semi-sweet fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the forbidden fruit; and it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock, one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being the sweet orange. Grapefruit are evergreen trees usually growing to around 6 metres tall and the leaves are dark green, long and thin. It produces white four-pealed flowers. The fruit is yellow-orange skinned and largely an oblate spheroid; it ranges in diameter from 10 centimetres to 15 centimetres. The flesh is segmented and acidic, varying in colour depending on the cultivars, which include white, pink and red pulps of varying sweetness, generally, the redder varieties are sweeter. All citrus groves in Spain are under irrigation and are concentrated in the coastal provinces along the Mediterranean Sea, primarily in a narrow coastal strip which is 500 kilometres in length, extending from the province of Castillo in Valencia to the province of Almeria in Andalucía.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 09:11:30 +0000
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