THE FRUIT OF THE GODS

Bright, juicy, aromatic, appetizing… Oranges are among the most popular fruits in the world. Due to their unique fragrant, oranges are often called “golden apples” or “the fruit of the gods”.

Orange, or Citrus sinensis, is a fruit tree that belongs to the Rutaceae family. It is also referred to as sweet orange in order not to confuse it with Citrus aurantium which is called bitter orange. Actually, sweet orange is a hybrid of Mandarin and Pomelo. Oranges originated in Southestern Asia. They grow in sunny sub-tropical areas. Typically they can’t be found in the wild as they are domesticated. The orange tree is an evergreen flowering citrus tree that is usually from 9 up to 15 m tall. It can live for about 100 years. The leaves are 4-10 cm long with crenulate edges. The fruit can vary from round to oval shape. It is regarded a hesperidium which is in fact a variety of a berry. The fruit contains some segments that are delimited by a membrane. The flowers are white and odorous.

Useful components

• High content of vitamin C
• Vitamins B1, B2, B6, P and pro-vitamin A
• Phytochemicals (including carotenoids) that prevent Stress
• Calcium, potassium
• Pectin

Interesting Orange Facts

• Orange blossoms and oranges were considered to be a symbol of love.
• The name of this fruit doesn’t come from its colour as many people think but derives from the Sanskrit word naranga which means “fragrant”.
• One orange provides the necessary daily dose of vitamin C.
• There are usually 10 segments in an orange.
• There are more than 600 kinds of oranges in the world, the most famous of them are Valencia, Navel, Persian and Blood oranges.
• The first orange seeds were brought to America by Columbus in 1493.
• Orange flavor is the third most popular flavor in the world after chocolate and vanilla.
• Brazil is the largest producer of oranges in the world.
• Marmalade is the name for orange jam.

Methods of Use

Oranges can be utilized in a great deal of various ways: as orange juice, oil, dried peels, perfume, cosmetics, tablets and capsules, tinctures, extracts.

Now as usual in our rubric of useful tips we’d like to share a healthful and easy-to-make recipe. Today it will be a recipe of the delicious orange drink.

Morning Orange Drink Recipe

What you need:

• 1 can (6 ounces­) of frozen concentrated orange juice
• 1 cup of cold water
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 10 ice cubes
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Combine orange juice concentrate, water, milk, sugar and vanilla extracts and put in a blender. Process the mixture at high speed. After that gradually add ice cubes to the mixture until it becomes smooth and homogeneous. Enjoy this refreshing drink!