Of Love and Oranges

 Ahhh, February. As the final month of winter keeps us cozy and indoors for a few more weeks, love, romance, and warm fuzzies are on everyone's mind. Valentine's Day seems designed to align with the natural rhythms of nature, but its origins were not very romantic. In Roman times, the day was indeed all about finding someone to love, but the approach was the opposite of flowers and chocolate. Thank goodness for citrus, which continues to evolve the rituals of love into a more elegant form.

The Early Days

It's believed that the holiday we now recognize as St. Valentine's Day originated with the Feast of Lupercalia in ancient Rome. This annual, three-day feast was in celebration of Lupercus, the god of fertility. It was the epitome of a bacchanalia, replete with animal sacrifices (usually goats, which were then cooked for the feast), "matchmaking" rituals such as lightly beating people with whips to make them more fertile, and drinking to the point of dangerous intoxication before picking a mate from a lottery of names in a jar. Remarkably, the entire affair was supported by the church and facilitated by priests, who--along with everyone else--were mostly naked. The feast itself was set with goat meat, milk, figs, breads, and wines. However, citrus was not a regional fruit variety and thus was not on the menu. It became significant in the centuries to follow as Valentine's Day became more refined. 

Lupercalia

Interesting fact: While Saint Valentine was recognized by some Roman Catholic churches as the patron saint of lovers, beekeepers, and people with epilepsy, he was never unilaterally accepted by the church as a true saint.  What is known, however, is that two men by the name of Valentine were summarily executed on different years in the third century by Emperor Claudius II--both on different years on February 14--during the Feast of Lupercalia. It is believed that these men were secretly marrying couples in love outside of the approval of the Emperor, and thus there are two Saint Valentines! 

The Evolution of The Day of Love

By the fifth century, the Catholic Church began to put the brakes on the rowdy, drunken qualities of Lupercalia, requiring instead a more romantic, fully clothed approach to promoting fertility, courting, coupling, and thus propagating the species. This approach sweetened over the centuries, and in the fourteenth century, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem called "The Parliament of Fowls" which directly related the late winter courtship of birds with a February 14th Valentine's Day:

“For this was on seynt Valentynes day,
Whan every fowl cometh there to chese his make.”

By the eighteenth century, February 14th was all about romance, but the fertility theme that originated with the Feast of Lupercalia persisted through the centuries, even to the present day. Rare and sweet foods such as chocolate and oranges became significant symbols of love and conception. Gift baskets containing citrus and sweets were popular offerings to give to someone in courtship. But do citrus fruits like oranges really work as aphrodisiacs? Science has confirmed that the answer is, unequivocally, yes. 

Of Love and Oranges (and Grapefruit)

We all know that citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C, making them great allies for fighting off colds during the winter flu season. Vitamin C also promotes sperm health, improves egg quality and ovulation, and helps the adrenal glands balance hormones, thereby supporting the body for conception. For older adults, these same effects can help quell the hormone swings that can kill the "mood." Grapefruit also has higher levels of nitric oxide, which can dilate blood vessels and thus increase the libido at any adult age.

Salvador Dali well knew about the amorous effects of citrus, and regularly enjoyed a "Casanova Cocktail" made of campari bitters, ginger, cayenne, brandy, and a generous amount of freshly squeezed orange juice. Juice that is freshly squeezed has the most active romance-inducing compounds, after all.

Pomander

Pomanders were also a regular part of Valentine's Day gift giving. By studding oranges and tangerines with cloves, they literally added spice to one's existing or potential love life. If romance is not your main focus right now, though, pomanders also double as wonderful winter decorations and aromatherapy for the home, car, and office spaces.

From all of us at Florida Fruit Shippers: Happy Valentine's Day!

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/2011/02/14/133693152/the-dark-origins-of-valentines-day

https://theamericanmag.com/food-of-love/

https://theenlightenmentjourney.com/the-lupercalia-festival-ancient-roman-celebration/

https://potw.org/archive/potw313.html

https://fertility-nest.com/2025/02/12/boost-fertility-naturally-with-vitamin-c/

https://www.mammarancia.com/did-you-know-that-orange-is-an-aphrodisiac-fruit/

Oranges or Orange Juice?

Those of us "of a certain age" probably remember ubiquitous television commercials by 1960's singer Anita Bryant touting the many benefits of Florida orange juice with her famous line: "Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine!" Here is a classic one from the late 1960s, in which she strolls through a Florida orange grove in high heels (without a single drop of sweat, mind you) and effortlessly picks an orange despite her very long nails. The orange "magically" turns into the Florida Orange Bird, which became a Disney World character and the mascot for the Florida Citrus Commission through the 1980's.

In this ad, Ms. Bryant referred to orange trees as "The Florida Sunshine Tree." In the late 1970's, she very much fell out of favor due to her staunch and unfortunate vocal anti-LGBTQ+ stance. In response, Florida oranges and orange juice from Florida were boycotted as a statement against Ms. Bryant's outspoken, archaic opinions, as her name and "The Florida Sunshine Tree" had become synonymous. In 1977, she successfully campaigned to repeal an anti-discrimination law in Miami that protected LGBTQ+ citizens. This law was not reinstated until 1998. The Florida Citrus Commission, now called the Florida Department of Citrus, parted ways with Ms. Bryant due to the controversy.

Nonetheless, the marketing machine had done its work on us, and through several decades between the fifties and the eighties, the messaging was clear: drink lots of orange juice! 

 

Note that all of these ads heartily promote the incredible health benefits of drinking orange juice, from its high Vitamin C content to "vitamins, minerals, and vigor, maintaining alkaline reserves, hydration, increasing appetite, and stimulating digestion." During times of inflation, the message that orange juice will help you nourish your whole family for pennies per cup was a-peeling (pun intended).

The Orange Juice Myth

The assumption here was that since oranges are so good for you, orange juice must be even better, right? After all, it concentrates all of the benefits of oranges into a drinkable, packaged form, like Vitamin C in a carton. This branding-induced standard is still commonly held by households today, with orange juice being the go-to breakfast drink of choice or what people drink in larger quantities when they're sick. 

Upon closer examination, however, there are some health concerns associated with drinking a lot of orange juice, especially if you are managing your weight or at risk of diabetes. The sugar content of an eight-ounce glass of juice has a whopping 26 grams of carbs, 21 grams of which are pure sugar. While the sugar type is fructose, or fruit sugar, it still has a moderate to high glycemic index and affects the body the same way as table sugar. The higher the glycemic index, the greater potential for a blood sugar spike, and this is bad news for your heart, weight, and overall health. To boot, processed juices are all but devoid of the fiber that makes citrus fruits so good for you.

By contrast, an orange is considered a low-glycemic food with only 9 grams of fruit sugar per fruit, and is loaded with fiber.

Oranges or Orange Juice?

While it is fine and perfectly refreshing to enjoy a glass of orange juice now and again, the whole orange is the healthiest choice for daily consumption. While they both contain high levels of Vitamin C, only the whole fruit will keep your blood sugar and weight from spiking. The high fiber content in oranges--lacking in processed orange juice--also helps with hydration and weight management. Check labels and ingredients, and go for one hundred percent orange. Believe it or not, many brands add extra sugar to their juices. Better yet, squeeze your own! Freshly squeezed juice retains more fiber, antioxidants, and nutrients than factory-processed pasteurized brands, even if the label reads "one hundred percent juice."

With 2026 and the determination to stick to our wellness resolutions underway, adding an orange to your daily diet and drinking lots of water is a great idea. Orange juice, while it seems like a shortcut to health and hydration, is no substitute. 

Happy Healthy New Year from all of us here at Florida Fruit Shippers!

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgemH9WAjaQ
https://makinggayhistory.org/podcast/chapter-five-thank-you-anita/
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=711464344804863
https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/02/us/2-decades-on-miami-endorses-gay-rights.html
https://ufsasc.domains.uflib.ufl.edu/come-to-the-florida-sunshine-tree/
https://meandthemouse.com/the-orange-bird-walt-disney-world/
https://www.floridacitrus.org/grower/fdoc-citrus-411/faqs-100-oj-and-sugar
https://www.delish.com/food-news/a64431762/is-it-healthy-to-drink-orange-juice-every-day
https://www.naturopathy-uk.com/news/news-cnm-blog/blog/2020/03/19/is-orange-juice-good-for-you/