Red orange
| Blood orange | |
|---|---|
A sliced blood orange
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| Species | Citrus × sinensis |
| Cultivar group | Blood orange cultivars |
| Origin | China or the Southern Mediterranean, 18th Century |
| Cultivar group members | |
The blood orange is a variety of orange (Citrus × sinensis) with crimson, almost blood-colored flesh.
The distinctive dark flesh color is due to the presence of anthocyanins, a family of antioxidant pigments common to many flowers and fruit, but uncommon in citrus fruits.Chrysanthemin (cyanidin 3-O-glucoside) is the main compound found in red oranges. The flesh develops its characteristic maroon color when the fruit develops with low temperatures during the night. Sometimes, dark coloring is seen on the exterior of the rind, as well, depending on the variety of blood orange. The skin can be tougher and harder to peel than that of other oranges. Blood oranges have a unique flavor profile compared to other oranges, being distinctly raspberry-like in addition to the usual citrus notes.
The blood orange is a natural mutation of the orange, which is itself a hybrid, probably between the pomelo and the tangerine, Within Europe, the arancia rossa di Sicilia (red orange of Sicily) has Protected Geographical Status. In the Land of Valencia, it was introduced in the second half of the 19th century.
The three most common types of blood oranges are the 'Tarocco' (native to Italy), the 'Sanguinello' (native to Spain), and the 'Moro', the newest variety of the three. Other less common types include 'Maltese', 'Khanpur', 'Washington Sanguine', 'Ruby Blood', 'Sanguina Doble Fina', 'Delfino', 'Red Valencia', 'Burris Blood Valencia', 'Vaccaro', 'Sanguine grosse ronde', 'Entre Fina', and 'Sanguinello a pignu'. The 'Maltese' is known to be the sweetest. While also pigmented, Cara cara navels and Vainiglia Sanguignos have pigmentation based on lycopene, not anthocyanins like blood oranges.
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Wikipedia