The history of oranges: from ancient Asia to the Mediterranean

A fruit with a thousand-year history, the orange has made a long journey before reaching Sicily and becoming a gastronomic symbol of the island. To find out what the origin of oranges is, it is necessary to retrace history and take a journey back in time thousands of years, through cultures and civilizations with different traditions.

Defined by many as a “tireless traveler”, this fruit has always fascinated emperors and artists for its bright color and its intoxicating scent: here are the origins of the orange and how this fruit came to Sicily.

Origin of oranges: from the forests of Asia to the heart of the Mediterranean

The origin of oranges can be traced back to antiquity in the forests of Asia, in particular between southern China, Vietnam and northern India. It is not possible to frame a precise geographical area but it can be hypothesized that the first oranges appeared in the vast area that opens between southern China, northern India and Indochina.

Often also used as a diplomatic gift between powerful people, it is essential to distinguish the common, or “sweet”, orange from the bitter orange or “melangolo”, although their origin is similar. In fact, even the sweet orange is not a primary fruit but an ancient hybrid that dates back to over 4000 years ago and which arrived in Europe through the trade routes of the time.

The botanical secret: the encounter between pomelo and mandarin

As anticipated, oranges originate from the crossing of two other fruits and did not also exist in nature before this natural hybridization. In particular, oranges were created by the union of pomelo and tangerine, the crossing of which gave life to both bitter and sweet oranges millennia ago.

Originally, oranges were therefore not a primary fruit although today they are widely spread. On the contrary, the pomelo and the mandarin are two of the three main “ancestral” citrus fruits together with the citron, from which all citrus fruits cultivated today are derived. In particular, the pomelo is considered the largest citrus fruit and both this fruit and the mandarin see their origin in China.

The journey to the West: the Silk and Spice Road

Despite a common beginning, the two derivations of pomelo and mandarin followed different destinies: in fact, while the bitter orange spread in Europe already around the tenth century, it was necessary to wait until the fifteenth century for the arrival of the sweet orange in our continent.

However, in some Roman texts of the first century there is already reference to the orange, and its cultivation in Sicily under the name of “melarancia”: it is therefore possible that the orange originally reached Europe via the Silk Road, reaching the Sicilian island where it would have been cultivated for a short time before its spread stopped for several centuries.

The Arabs and the introduction of the bitter orange in the Mediterranean

What there is no doubt about is that the bitter orange spread in the Mediterranean thanks to the Arabs, who imported it to southern Europe, and to Sicily in particular, around the year 1000. Originally, bitter oranges were mainly used as ornamental plants or to make perfumes from their irresistible essence.

At the time, it was not uncommon to see these plants, already widely spread in Persian gardens , also take hold in Sicily in full Arab domination. In fact, first for the Arabs and then for the Sicilians, that of the “garden” was a real culture, which was not limited to the agricultural aspect but to the creation of places of beauty and well-being. However, apart from their ornamental use in the courtyards of palaces and perfumery, these oranges were not used for consumption at the table.

The origin of the sweet orange: the role of navigators and “Portugal”

And the origins of sweet orange? In addition to the hypothesis of the arrival of this citrus fruit in Europe by land via the trade routes of the Silk Road transiting through ancient Persia along with precious textiles and other seeds, a fundamental role was played by Portuguese navigators of the fifteenth century.

In fact, while in the first case it seems that the cultivation of the orange had not managed to spread, it was the Portuguese sailors who imported this citrus fruit into Europe during the fifteenth century. Thanks to the circumnavigations of Africa carried out by navigators of the time, such as Vasco da Gama, sweeter and juicier varieties also arrived in Europe directly from China.

The winter fruit became a real example of the maritime explorations of the time, a piece of history told by the ocean routes of European navigators who introduced foreign products such as oranges, spices and precious fabrics to our continent as well.

Why is the orange called “Portugal” in many dialects?

A linguistic curiosity linked to the history of the origin of oranges is that relating to the name of this fruit in many Italian dialects and languages. In fact, already in nineteenth-century literature, the orange was often called “portugal” testifying to the role of the Portuguese as the main spreaders of citrus fruit in Europe.

Some examples are the Greek “portokali”, the Albanian “portokall”, the Romanian “portocală”, the Turkish “portakal” and the Arabic “burtuqāl” itself. However, in the latter language there is also a term closer to the Italian “orange” which, however, refers to the bitter variant of this citrus fruit: it is “nāranğ”, a term of Persian origin that means “(fruit) preferred by elephants” and from which the Italian name of the citrus fruit derives, but also the Spanish “naranja” and the Hungarian “narancs”.

And the use of the term “portugal” to indicate the orange has also spread to many Italian dialects: just think that in Neapolitan the citrus fruit is called “purtuàll”, in Sicilian “partuallu” and again in some parts of Abruzzo, the dialect term is “purtuall”, as well as between Salento and Gargano it ranges from “portacallu” to “portajall” and other similar variants can be found in the Piedmontese dialect, Bergamo, Ferrara and Parmesan.

The origin of the orange tree in Sicily: from an ornamental plant to a symbol of an island

Once they arrived in Sicily, the oranges actually found fertile climate and soil to be cultivated and from that moment a centuries-old history began that led this citrus fruit to become a true symbol of the island.

The Arab heritage: irrigation techniques

When the Arabs brought bitter oranges to Sicily, they were initially used as ornamental plants for the growth of which the two Arab and Sicilian cultures dialogued, giving rise to a tradition of cultivation handed down for centuries.

In particular, the combination of Arab irrigation techniques, namely the “qanat” and land “gebbie”, and the unique climate of the island were the main elements favorable to the cultivation of the plant which were then also used for the sweet orange. It was thanks to Arab techniques that arid lands were transformed into lush gardens in full Arab style.

The blood orange and the influence of Etna

With the passage of time, the cultivation of oranges in Sicily began to change and take on unique characteristics also due to the soil and the evolution of the island’s landscape. In particular, in the Etna area, the influence of the soils and the volcanic climate has influenced the cultivation of the sweet orange, leading to the birth of red varieties, a typical pigmentation of the Sicilian orange.

The origin of blood oranges is in fact linked to a spontaneous mutation that occurred in Sicily between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, mainly due to the development of anthocyanins following the strong autumn and winter temperature variations typical of the Etna area.

The legacy of Tenuta Donna Fina: the story continues

At Tenuta Donna Fina we are aware that treating citrus fruits such as oranges means dealing with a piece of millenary history. For this reason, our aim is not only to cultivate fruits, but to preserve a historical baggage and a heritage that has been handed down for centuries in Sicily.

To do this, we care about the fact that our products have an authentic and unique taste, which recalls Sicily not only at the first bite but already smelling its scent. In compliance with these values, we do not treat our products with waxes or other chemical materials, which makes their peel 100% edible and the citrus fruit can be consumed in its entirety without health risks.

For the same reason and for the love we have for our land, we respect the rhythms of nature for the cultivation of our products which does not involve external forcing and depends exclusively on the natural ripening calendar, together with the support of the soil and the volcanic microclimate.

Finally, we only harvest the fruits on the day of departure of the shipment, which we carry out exclusively two days a week. In this way, we guarantee the arrival of the products around 48 hours before departure, preserving their scent and freshness.

Discover all the varieties of oranges available on our website: from the red and typical Sicilian Moro oranges and Tarocco oranges, in the Sant’Alfio, Lempso and Ippolito varieties, passing through the blonde Navel oranges and the rosés Cara Cara and Cara Cara Verdi.