Oranges are harvested when they are ripe, so the vitamin C content is much higher than the unripe ones that travel for weeks, not to mention the taste of sunshine :) The fruit arrives to us within a few days after the harvest.
Since different types of oranges ripen at different times, what comes to us changes during the season, now it is the time for blood oranges!
There is no other Italian region that has gained glory for a single fruit. As a trade commodity, Sicilian citrus fruits were extremely popular already in the Middle Ages and were a reliable source of income for the island. The three main varieties are Tarocco, Sanguinello and Moro.
Its red flesh and skin coloured with a slight blush are caused by the colouring substance called anthocyanin, which, among other things, has an antioxidant effect, so it prevents the rapid growth of cancer cells, and even kills them if consumed frequently.
This sweet, seedless Tarocco orange, with its red-dotted, deep orange skin and slightly red flesh contains more vitamin C than any orange in the world, which is largely due to the fact that it grows in the very fertile, special soil around Etna. It is extremely rich in minerals: iron, selenium, folic acid, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iodine, potassium, zinc and many other ingredients useful for our health.
Its taste is somewhat more complex and exciting than the usual oranges, its size is medium, its skin is thin, and it has a reddish-burgundy colour in many places. Juicy, with a slightly tarter taste than the Navel variety, the world's best orange juices are made from it.
You can include it in your diet in many ways. Spice up your salads with blood oranges, pair it with mint and beet for a really special flavour. You should also taste it by itself after squeezing it. It can also be a tasty ingredient in cocktails, sauces, jams, and compotes, but it is also divine with chocolate. Blood oranges can be used in any recipe that requires regular orange juice, such as cakes, ice creams and sorbets.
It is not necessary to soak the skin of the untreated fruit, just wash it and you can grate it and put it in cakes, on fish, etc. If you don't use it all, feel free to freeze it and use it within 1 year.
Photo: Antonio Fekete - DesignFood
