My husband Geoff is mad at me at the moment simply because I ordered a box of oranges! Well, I must admit that I went slightly over the top. It’s a twenty six kilo crate that, luckily, I’m sharing with my friend Annalisa. So, yes, we have oranges everywhere, both in the kitchen and the pantry!

Oranges originally come from China and South East Asia. They were known in the Mediterranean area in Roman times, but were only cultivated for their beautiful white flowers, and their bright orange fruits which are on display throughout the dull winter months. It was only in the XVII century, however, that oranges started to become popular thanks to the Arabs, who understood their benefit to health and diet.

L’arancia rossa di Sicilia (the red Sicilian orange) was brought to Sicily by a Genoese missionary on his way back from the Philippines, thereby introducing le arance pigmentate (pigmented oranges) to Italy. The flesh of le arance rosse varies from golden orange with just a few specs of red, to a very dark "blood" red color, hence the name of the variety Sanguinello (from sangue meaning ‘blood’). Apart from the Sanguinello, the generic name "arancia rossa di Sicilia" covers two other main varieties: Moro, and Tarocco. They are cultivated in the eastern part of Sicily, which includes the provinces of Enna, Catania, Siracusa, and Ragusa.

Le arance rosse di Sicilia carry the IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) label, and there are two main factors that give them their unique flavor and color, factors which are strictly linked to the territory where they are grown: le considerevoli escursioni termiche nel periodo di piena maturazione (the high changes in temperature during the ripening season) e la particolare composizione del terreno, che risente della presenza dell’Etna (and the particular soil composition, which is influenced by the volcano, Mount Etna).

So was it really worth buying a twenty six kilo crate of Sicilian oranges? Senz’altro (certainly), because they are so delicious and the color of their flesh is a feast for the eyes! What’s more, Geoff is now very happy because I also made dieci barattoli di Marmellata di Arance (ten jars of Orange Marmalade).