Bitter orange

In some proposed systems, the species Citrus × aurantium includes not only the bitter orange proper, but all other hybrids between the pomelo and the wild type mandarin, namely the sweet orange, the grapefruit, and all cultivated mandarins. This article only deals with the bitter orange proper. == History ==

The bitter orange, like many cultivated Citrus species, is a hybrid, in its case of the wild mandarin and pomelo. '' species, is a hybrid, in its case of the wild mandarin and pomelo. After the Columbian exchange, the pomelo was introduced to the New World, starting in Mexico by 1568. == Botany ==

Description The bitter orange has orange fruit with a distinctly bitter or sour taste. The tree has alternate simple leaves on long petioles; there are long thorns on the petiole. The trees require little care and may live for as long as 600 years. It grows in subtropical regions but can tolerate a brief frost. • C. × aurantium var. daidai, the daidai, is used in Chinese medicine and in tea. Among the many related species is Citrus bergamia, the bergamot orange. This is probably a bitter orange and limetta hybrid; it is cultivated in Italy for the production of bergamot oil, a component of many brands of perfume and tea, especially Earl Grey tea. It is a less hardy plant than other bitter orange varieties. == Uses ==

Culinary While the raw pulp is not edible, bitter orange is widely used in cooking. The Seville orange (the usual name in this context) is prized for making British orange marmalade, being higher in pectin than the sweet orange, and therefore giving a better set and a higher yield. Once a year, oranges of this variety are collected from trees in Seville and shipped to Britain to be used in marmalade. However, the fruit is rarely consumed locally in Andalusia. This reflects Britain, Portugal and Spain's historic Atlantic trading relationship; an early recipe for 'marmelet of oranges' was recorded by Eliza Cholmondeley in 1677. Bitter orange—bigarade—was used in all early recipes for ''duck à l'orange, originally called canard à la bigarade''. Malta too has a tradition of making bitter oranges into marmalade. In Finland, mämmi is a fermented malted rye dough flavoured with ground Seville orange zest. Across Scandinavia, bitter orange peel is used in dried, ground form in baked goods such as Christmas bread and gingerbread. In Greece, the nerántzi is one of the most prized fruits used for spoon sweets. In Adana province, Turkey, bitter orange jam is a principal dessert. Bitter oranges are made into chutneys in India, either in the style of a raita with curds, or roasted, spiced, and sweetened to form a condiment that can be preserved in jars. In Yucatán (Mexico), it is a main ingredient of the cochinita pibil. In Suriname, its juice is used in the well-known dish pom. An essential oil is extracted from the peel of dried, unripe bitter oranges; C. aurantium var. curassaviensis in particular is used in Curaçao liqueur. with similar uses. The peel of bitter oranges is used as a spice in Belgian Witbier (white beer), for orange-flavored liqueurs such as Cointreau, and to produce bitters such as Oranjebitter. It is a component of Nordic hot spiced wine, glögg. File:Homemade marmalade, England.jpg|English marmalade is traditionally homemade in the winter File:Poster 13154.jpg|"Bitter Campari" poster, Leonetto Cappiello, 1921 File:Stamp of Albania - 1965 - Colnect 323058 - Orange Citrus sinensis.jpeg|1965 Albanian postage stamp File:Bitter orange juice or Narthangai juice (cropped).jpg|Narthangai juice, India File:Pepparkakor.JPG|Homemade gingerbread, Sweden Rootstock, wood, and soap The bitter orange is used as a rootstock in groves of sweet orange. Following bans on the herbal stimulant ephedra in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere, bitter orange has been substituted into "ephedra-free" herbal weight-loss products by dietary supplement manufacturers. Bitter orange is believed to cause the same spectrum of adverse events as ephedra. Case reports have linked bitter orange supplements to strokes, angina, ischemic colitis, and myocardial infarction. The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found "little evidence that bitter orange is safer to use than ephedra." == Drug interactions ==

Bitter orange may have serious grapefruit-like drug interactions with medicines such as statins (to lower cholesterol), nifedipines (to lower blood pressure), some anti-anxiety drugs, and some antihistamines. == References ==