History of bitter orange

The main growing areas of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium L) are situated in Italy, Spain and Brazil. It was mentioned by Ibn al Awam that the bitter orange originated from India. According to Al Biruni, it has a mythical origin. This orange crossing India reached China around 2200 BC.

It was unknown to the Greeks and Romans, even during the period of their greatest imperial expansion. 

There was a Sanskrit name for the orange – nagarunyam, nagrunga. It is from this that the word orange came, for the Hindus turned it into narungee.

The bitter orange was brought to Seville by the Arabs from the Far East via Iraq around the tenth century, to beautify and perfume the patios of the mosque and the garden filed with other fragrant flowers and trees that Moorish settlers cherished as small pieces of paradise in earth.

Arabs carried the orange tree with them towards the West, were first acquainted the bitter orange and gave it the name narunj and their physicians from the tenth century prescribed the bitter juice of this fruit.

King Badis of Granada banned the planting of orange trees since they were thought to bring bad luck and symbolized a sedentary, decadent life but other Arabs rulers in Andalusia prize them.

Bitter orange also was introduced to Syria, Palestine, Egypt North Africa, Sicily Sardinia, Spain and southern France by Arabs in 10 and 11th AD.

The Crusaders saw the bitter orange tree in Palestine. It was cultivated in Sicily from the year 1002, probably a result of the incursion of the Arabs.

One of the first importations of the fruit into Britain was in AD 1290 when the queen of Edward I bought some of the cargo of Spanish ship at Portsmouth.

After the discovery of the New World by Columbus, the bitter orange was introduced to the West Indies and to North, Central and South America.

The precious volatile oil from these biter orange flowers was first mentioned in 1563 by the Italian naturalist, J. B della Porta.
History of bitter orange