Orange trees originate in in India, with some varieties being found in the south east of the country and possibly the island of Ceylon, while other smaller varieties may have originated in forests of the north east of the country or Bangladesh. The varieties of the north east were used as long ago as 7,000 years ago in traditional dishes. Apart from desserts, orange peel and juice has also been used in Indian savory dishes for thousands of years, sometimes to flavor rice, or add an orange tang to certain vegetable dishes.
Archeologists and historians believe that by the beginning of the first millennium Chinese farmers were setting aside land for orchards and growing oranges, apples, figs and a variety of other tree hanging fruit. Certainly at the height of the Zhou dynasty, and in the times after when the states were warring against each other, many of China’s greatest administrators were writing about the virtues of keeping orchards rather than relying foraging for fruit. Oranges and apples in particular were very popular amongst the nobility and orchardists were known to compete with each other for the pleasure of their lord by growing ever larger, sweeter, or more perfectly rounded fruit.
I love doing the research part of this blog, I never knew the history of the orange. I guess we never stop learning!
On a personal note, for the last two weeks Ethan has had summer school for half a day....which has really cut down my work time. School starts next Tuesday and I will be back to my regular hours. Wow hard to believe Fall is coming, the dogwood tree is losing leaves! Have a great week!
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2 comments:
This sounds like something I would really like. I like citrus flavored teas. Fay mommo56@excite.com
Yes, the history of the orange is interesting, as well as that of the other orchard fruits in China. Why don't I see more blends with apple in the tea? Is that because it isn't a distinct flavor? And how about figs? Are they just not as easy as orange or bergamot to handle? --Spirituality of Tea
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