The name of the fruit in Latin — 'pomum aurantium' — means 'golden apple'. The plant is also known as bigarde, chinotto, wild or bitter orange, and Seville orange.
According to one version, bitter orange is a natural hybrid of pomelo and mandarin trees that grew side by side and pollinated naturally. The fruit has been grown in Seville for over 800 years, and marmalades, juices, and syrups are still made from it today.
Orange and Bitter
Bitter orange is a small evergreen tree about five meters tall. Its homeland is Indochina, from where it spread to Western and Southwestern Asia and then to the Mediterranean. The fruits are similar in size to mandarin but have a shape flattened at the poles and a thick, bumpy skin. The color is bright orange; inside is sour, bitter, seedy pulp. Its flowers, leaves, and stems are used everywhere — from medicine to perfumery.
More Than Just a Citrus
Even Avicenna (980–1037) included bitter orange juice in his recipes. Traditional Chinese medicine has used the peel or dried fruits for centuries to treat stomach diseases. In South America, bitter orange is used to treat insomnia, anxiety, and epilepsy.
The peel is rich in rare organic compounds: ocimene, myrcene, limonene, anthranilic, phenylacetic, and benzoic acids, and methyl ether. Bitter orange has strong lympho-drainage properties and eliminates causes of atherosclerosis. Its antispasmodic properties handle headache attacks, migraines, and muscle spasms. It also has mild anticoagulant properties and exerts choleretic, antiseptic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-rheumatic effects.
The Aroma of Hedonism
At the slightest touch to the branches, leaves, and stems, bitter orange leaves on the fingers an aroma like the trail of expensive perfume — this is petitgrain oil, hunted by perfumers worldwide. Leading perfume houses build fragrant compositions based on bitter orange oil.
The legendary Aperol Spritz — the pride and national treasure of Austria — contains precisely bitter orange extract, giving it its individual taste with a bitter note.
