TASTE VALENCIAN ORANGES

The fruit of the Costa del Azahar — aka the Orange Blossom Coast — is known for its sweet and juicy flavour. Chef Vicky Sevilla sings the praises of Valencia oranges

I’ve had oranges in my life since I was a little girl. When you’re from the Valencia region, they’re a constant presence; you grow up with boxes and fridges full of oranges.

My house is surrounded by orange trees

— as soon as I step outside, I see them. My uncles have orchards of oranges, my mother worked in a warehouse processing them, and throughout his life my father would spend the winters picking oranges and the summers preparing trees for the new season. It’s tough work; in our region, at least, it’s still done by hand — the pickers go to pick the fruit, they don’t use machines.

You know an orange from Valencia as soon as you taste it — it has a unique flavour you won’t find anywhere else. The fruit has a spectacular quality and what many people don’t realise is there are many different varieties. In my home village, Quart de les Valls, we grow a type called navel chocolate orange. It’s a variety that’s slowly dying out, but some people are trying to make it commercially viable. It’s not your typical ‘pretty’ orange, it really is chocolate coloured, but it’s so sweet and has the perfect acidity.

Different varieties have different seasons, so at home we’ve always had fridges for oranges, to conserve them beyond their season. They keep well, but of course they’re not like an orange you’ve just picked off a tree.

Today, in my restaurant I cook with Valencia oranges. I could cook with mango, for example, but I’d know that I wouldn’t be serving it in the best condition; if I choose to make a dish using local fruit, I know they’re the best they can be. On the menu I have a ‘pre-dessert’ that’s made with lemons as well as oranges, and is served with an orange cake. It really reminds me of the land I come from.

Vicky Sevilla is chef-owner of the Michelinstarred Arrels restaurant in Sagunto, Valencia. restaurantarrels.com Interview: Tina Nielsen