CITRUS FRUITS: A STORY OF SICILIAN FLAVOURS (AND BEYOND)

by Editorial Staff | May 5, 2020 | Food products & ingredients | 0 comments

“Here orange trees live on, never fading,
with endless blossoms, endless fruit endure,
and while one bud appears, another ripens.”^[1]

The term “citrus” (in Italian, agrume) derives from the Latin “agro,” meaning sour. It refers to the characteristic tart taste of the flesh of many closely related fruits—mandarins, oranges, grapefruits and others. They belong to different species within a single botanical genus: Citrus.

From China to Pompeii

The origin of citrus fruits lies deep in antiquity in China, from where they journeyed westward over the centuries, reaching Italy in Roman times.

The House of the Orchard in Pompeii is just one of many works from the era depicting a flowering garden with trees bearing fruit that look very much like lemons.

Two thousand years ago, however, only three citrus types were broadly known: bitter orange and lemon—mainly ornamental—and the citron, which appears to have had a religious function and is “still linked today to Jewish festivities.”^[2]

Cultural go-betweens and ruling powers

According to some scholars, citrus fruits were introduced to Italy thanks first to Jewish mediation and later to the Arabs.

It was especially under Arab rule, around the year 1000, that new cultivation techniques and a new conception of space were introduced. In Sicily, this led to the flourishing of gardens filled with bitter orange and lemon trees, bringing renown to several cities.

“In particular, the city of Palermo is presented as ‘the most beautiful city on the Island,’ with ‘lofty palaces and delightful gardens.’”^[3]

Even so, it took the first Crusaders to spread citrus across the peninsula—especially in Tuscany, where in the 1400s the Medici “promoted their diffusion throughout Europe.”^[4]

The 15th century also saw the birth of citrus use in cooking, especially with roasted meats.

“Portogalli” and historic hubs beyond Sicily

Only in the 1600s, with the introduction of the sweet orange—called portogalli in Sicilian dialect—did citrus develop commercial importance, shifting from ornamental element to food.

While in the collective imagination citrus is born in Sicily, other areas have developed over the centuries into significant economic centers.

For example, “around Rodi Garganico, Vico and Ischitella, oranges have been grown practically forever, to the point that one of the species present is the sweet-fruited melangolo (bitter orange), one of the first citrus to reach the Mediterranean after arriving in China around 2200 BC. Its main feature is a pleasantly sweet-and-sour taste—a unique balance among all known species today.”^[5]

Vitamin C, scurvy and gastronomic culture

Thanks to their nutritional properties—especially vitamin C—citrus fruits were stocked on ships to combat scurvy, a disease caused by deficiency of that vitamin, which decimated Ferdinand Magellan’s crew during the famous circumnavigation of the globe in 1520.

Citrus fruits have been with us since time immemorial: first as ornamentals, then as natural remedies, and finally as true ingredients, refining flavours in the kitchen and contributing to today’s gastronomic culture.

From Arab candied peels to duck à l’orange

From candied citrus prepared by the Arabs in the 1500s to internationally known modern recipes like duck à l’orange, there are hundreds of dishes starring citrus. These same preparations can be included today in both home and professional menus, consciously revisiting the history and flavours these fruits have handed down for generations.

Lorenzo Terzoli Bergamaschi
Anthropologist

^[1] Tasso, Torquato. Rime. Vol. 1. Sauerländer, 1807.

^[2] Giarè, Francesca, and Sabrina Giuca. “Cultura, tradizioni e qualità degli agrumi.” (2009).

^[3] Ibid.

^[4] Camarda, I., et al. “Un agrume nella storia della Sardegna: Citrus limon var. pompia Camarda var. nova.” Quad. Bot. Amb. Appl 24.2013 (2013): 109–118.

^[5] http://www.saperesapori.it/Ilciboneltempo/Archivioarticoli/tabid/305/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/736/Gli-agrumi.aspx#.XjLG-GhKjIV