Jaffa orange

Jaffa orange
Jaffa oranges on sale at Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem
Species	Citrus × sinensis
Hybrid parentage	'Baladi' orange × unknown
Cultivar	'Jaffa'
Origin	Mandatory Palestine, in mid-19th century

The Jaffa orange, (also known as Shamouti orange), is a popular almost seedless orange variety with a tough skin that makes it particularly suitable for export.

Developed by Palestinian farmers in the mid-19th century, the variety takes its name from the city of Jaffa where it was first produced for export. A symbol of production and Jewish-Arab cooperation in Mandatory Palestine, the orange was the primary citrus export for the city. One of three main varieties of oranges grown in the Middle East, the 'Jaffa' orange is also cultivated in Cyprus, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.

'Jaffa' oranges, also known as shamouti, are practically seedless, with a flavour that has been described as "excellent" and "sweet and fine." The two other main orange varieties cultivated in the region are the navel orange and the bitter orange; the latter is grown in Iran for its peel. The 'Jaffa' orange is distinguished by its oval shape and thick peel, which is deep orange in color and normally very easy to remove from the fruit. Its tough skin makes it "especially suitable for export". As it produces very little juice and has a tendency towards delayed bitterness, it is unsuitable for juice production, although it does store well.

These oranges are very cold-tolerant, allowing them to grow outside of the subtropical regions normally associated with growing oranges. 'Jaffa' oranges are susceptible to Alternaria, a type of fungus, and are prone to alternate bearing.

Located at the crossroads between Africa, western Asia, and Europe, Palestinian farmers produced a number of commodities for export via imperial and global distribution networks throughout the late Islamic period (1200–1900 CE). Among these were soap, sugar, barley, oranges, and cotton. Though cotton left its mark throughout the region, the only commodity, that remains a symbol of production in Israel is the 'Jaffa' orange.