Try becoming an orange.
Yes, it’s true—oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits and other citrus are shipped around all around planet Earth, and beloved absolutely everywhere. What’s more, they have a long and fascinating culinary history across cuisines.
While the first citrus trees are thought to have originated in China, bitter oranges spread to Italy and Spain way back in the 10th century. The sweet orange became popular in the 16th century, around the time when citrus was introduced to the new world. Soon citrus was being planted on trade routes around the globe.
This ensured a worldwide spread of these delicious fruits. Cultures around the world have been making citrus a part of their native cuisine for centuries!
While you’ve probably heard of some such dishes, like duck with orange sauce, today we wanted to dig a little deeper. Read on for some authentic citrus recipes from around the world that we think you may not know about.
Guyanese Pepperpot
Though located in South America, the country of Guyana is often considered culturally Caribbean. Pepperpot, a traditional Guyanese meat stew in spiced gravy, typically contains a significant amount of orange peel. It is interesting to me that pepperpot is traditionally eaten on Christmas, since citrus-flavored food is associated with that holiday in other countries as well. Here is a recipe for this intriguing dish.
Moroccan Orange and Cinnamon Dessert Salad
The North African country of Morocco grows a lot of oranges (said to be some of the best in the region) and its cuisine features many orange dishes. The combination of oranges, cinnamon, and orange blossom water is a traditional dessert in this cuisine. By the way, in Morocco, orange flower water is a symbol of good luck.Costa Rican Orange Pudding
This simple thick orange pudding seems like an obvious idea, but I’ve never been served anything like it in this country—have you? It is traditional in the small Central American nation of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a grower of oranges, and the county also enjoys orange flavors in pound cakes and raisin cakes.Persian Jeweled Rice (Jahaver Polow)
This stunningly beautiful and fragrant rice dish from the Middle Eastern country of Iran is known as “jeweled” rice. It’s often served at weddings, parties, and other festive events. Jahaver Polow features many nuts and fruits, including an abundance of candied orange peel (a central flavor in the dish). It would make a gorgeous addition to a holiday table.Tangerine Beef
When you think of citrus flavors and Chinese food, you may think of orange chicken, a sweet, deep-fried dish that can be a bit of a guilty pleasure for many of us. However, that dish is pretty Americanized and is not likely be found in mainland China. But this is not to say that citrus isn’t used in authentic Chinese cooking. One common recipe is Tangerine Beef, which used dried tangerine peel and features some of the same sweet and aromatic flavors as orange chicken. Here’s a recipe that American kitchens should be able to prepare.
If there’s one thing we know at Florida Fruit Shippers, it’s that you will never run out of new, fascinating, and delicious recipes to prepare with Florida citrus. Centuries of inventive cooks who came before us have ensured it! Of course, you can also just enjoy our fresh, juicy citrus straight out of the box. It’s honey tangerine season right now, and the fruit couldn’t be sweeter. Why not order a box today? Or, for a limited time, enjoy free shipping on our Spring Trio--Temple oranges, honey tangerines, and sweet ruby-red Grapefruit.
