Odd name…great taste

If you like springtime citrus, you’ll love the blood orange. These sweet, baseball-sized fruits got their name in ancient times from the deep red colored flesh that is reminiscent of, you guessed it, blood. Perhaps this is what a vegetarian vampire would eat? They might have True Blood, but these are probably tastier. While the name may not be appetizing, their distinctive flavor certainly is. Quite different from other oranges, they have a rich flavor that has hints of raspberry overtones, and even the skin can be slightly sweet.
However, not all blood oranges are the same.
The three most widely grown varieties you’ll find in our produce departments in the U.S. are:
The Moro- most common variety; has a rich flavor, a round shape, and is the most highly colored. This is the one you are most likely buying now.
The Sanguinelli- often first on the market, this oblong shaped fruit has a strawberry red flesh.
The Tarocco - the largest blood orange, it is more elongated than the others. It also has the highest juice content and its almost berry-flavored flesh makes it the best flavored.
You’re probably wondering: what’s the story on these interesting oranges?
The blood orange is an ancestor to the sweet oranges that first arrived from Asia in the 1400's. The "arrance rosse" or blood orange is indigenous to Italy. Apparently they originated in the17th century from a spontaneous mutation somewhere near Mount Etna, in Sicily. It’s believed that the sun and volcanic soil near Mount Etna’s black slopes has something to do with the unique flavor and color of the blood oranges grown there. And who knows - it may be true! These conditions certainly have a large impact on the blood oranges grown in the US.
Bloods grown in Florida don’t have nearly as much of the intense red color as the bloods grown in California. This has been attributed to Florida’s limestone soils and weather. On the other hand, California’s hot summer days and cold winter nights are similar to the weather in Sicily and these conditions bring out the best flavor and color. All of the blood oranges you enjoy from west of the Mississippi are generally California grown.
There are many ways to enjoy blood oranges: fresh out of hand, as juice, made into sorbet or even in salad. I love them peeled and pulled into segments and added to a salad of mixed greens or Arugula and Mizuna, thinly sliced red onions, crumbled goat feta, tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Mmmm, mmmm. This is one salad that is as colorful as it is tasty. And so healthy for you!
Talk about eating your colors, I say dig in!
If you’d like to learn more about springtime citrus tune into An Organic Conversation on http://www.green960.com Saturday morning 3/20/2010 @ 10am PST or download it at www.anorganicconversation.com after it airs on iTunes as a podcast.