I was introduced to blood oranges fairly early on in my life, and I remember instantly falling in love with them. I don’t know why. Maybe because they were exotic, they were pretty, and they were tasty. Tart, but tasty.

I’ve spotted them from time to time in markets over the years. And, fortunately, my Grandfather z”l planted a tree in his backyard here in Israel. They’re still not common enough for large scale commercial orchards, but maybe that’s what keeps them special.

History

The common blood orange cultivar is almost universally accepted as coming from Sicily, and was known as early as 1715. Another variety grows in China, but the two aren’t botanically related. Some opinions speculate that Jaffa oranges are actually a variant of the blood orange, and in Texas, there is a variety actually called the Jaffa Blood Orange.

Culinary Use

You can use them as you would any recipe that calls for orange. I made candied orange peels from the oranges I used for my Fennel and Blood Orange Salad. Marmalade, juice, sorbet, cakes poultry and so on would get ratcheted up a notch or two on the gourmet scale if you used blood oranges instead. Try to use them where the color of the juice or the speckling of the red pigment wouldn’t be lost in the dish. A blood orange and balsamic gastrique may sound tasty, but it will still be dark brown.

More Information

Blood oranges are a winter seasonal fruit here in Israel and have been in Machane Yehuda for the past several weeks. They are sweet, and the pigmentation gives it a hint of other fruits that have anthocyanin in them, particularly raspberries. The pigment is also a strong antioxidant, which means that it’s healthier than ordinary oranges. They do tend to soften quickly, so don’t let them hang around too long in your fruit bowl.

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