SWEET AND SOUR

Oranges galore!

TYPES

Navel oranges

These are the most popular kind and have high vitamin C content. There’s a small growth at the bottom of each orange that resembles the human navel. They are also seedless, easy to peel and extremely juicy.

Seville oranges

Known as ‘sour oranges’ due to their high acid content, they’re used for cooking and to make marmalade, salad dressing and sauces.

Blood oranges

These are smaller than navel oranges but larger than tangerines. The flesh is bright-red and has a unique flavour that’s a mix of orange and raspberry. They are relatively easy to peel and very juicy, as well as ideal for salads, sauces, juice and marmalade.

Bergamot oranges

These oranges are yellow or green in colour (similar to lime) but are the size of an orange. Since they are extremely bitter and acidic, they’re grown for their peel, which is used for perfumes and to flavour Earl Grey tea.

Tangerines

Smaller in size, the tangerine has a soft thin skin, which makes it easier to peel than a navel orange. The skin and flesh are deep orange in colour and the tangerine is loaded with vitamin C.

Clementines

This is a hybrid between willowleaf mandarin and sweet orange. The peel has a deep orange colour with a smooth and glossy appearance. The fruit is juicy and sweet with a low acid content.

Sweet oranges

These oranges have a low acid content and are called sweet oranges. But they don’t have much flavour.

Trifoliate oranges

These oranges are native to northern China and Korea, and particularly interesting because they’re a bit fuzzy. They are tiny oranges and used most often to make marmalade.

Mandarins

Smaller than regular oranges, they have looser skin, a sweeter taste and less acidity. Practically seedless, they are best eaten as a snack or whipped up in a dessert.

Cara Cara Navel Oranges

A Cara Cara navel orange or red fleshed navel orange is similar to a combination of blood orange and navel orange, with deep red flesh that’s sweet and low in acid. It has a complex flavour profile with hints of cherry and blackberry.