Physical Description
A navel orange is a special type of orange which has a little surprise inside once it is peeled: a partially formed undeveloped fruit like a conjoined twin, located at the blossom end of the fruit. From the outside, the blossom end is reminiscent of a human navel, leading to the common name of “navel orange.” These oranges are cultivated primarily in Brazil, California, Arizona, and Florida, and they are among the most common and popular of orange varieties.
Colors: bright orange
Tasting Notes
Flavors: sweet
Mouthfeel: Juicy, Sweet, Citrusy, Bright
Food complements: Basil, Rosemary, Cilantro, Fish, Seafood, Chicken, Pork, Cream
Wine complements: White wine, Late harvest reisling, Reisling, Viognier
Beverage complements: Tequila, Bourbon, Brandy
Substitutes: Tangerines, Minneolas, Grapefruit, Lemon, Meyer lemon, Blood orange
Selecting and Buying
Seasonality: november, december
Peak: january, february, november, december
Choosing: Pick fruit that is somewhat firm, bright orange in color and has a light citrus scent.
Buying: Sunkist navel oranges are available from November through May, with peak supplies in January, February and March. Navel oranges are easy to spot in your produce aisle. They're the ones with the button formation opposite the stem end
Procuring: Today, navel oranges continue to be produced via cutting and grafting. This does not allow for the usual selective breeding methodologies, and so not only do the navel oranges of today have exactly the same genetic makeup as the original tree, and are therefore clones, all navel oranges can be considered to be the fruit of that single nearly two hundred year-old tree. This is similar to the common yellow seedless banana, the Cavendish. On rare occasions, however, further mutations can lead to new varieties.[5]
Preparation and Use
Oranges are rich in vitamin C and fibers. Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant which promotes skin healing and keeps the body health. Fibers present in oranges can help to prevent high blood pressure and diseases like diabetes as well. Along with these two nutrients, there are some other important nutrients present in oranges which provide multiple health benefits. Let us look at each of the oranges health benefits and nutrition facts in
Cleaning: Rinse and just peel and eat.
Conserving and Storing
Store unrefrigerated on the counter in an area that does not get much direct light or refrigerated.
Social/Political
you may know the navel orange as a Washington, Riverside, or Bahia Navel Orange. If you're in a formal mood, you can call it by its scientific name, Citrus sinensis. This orange varietal is the result of a single mutation which occurred on a plantation in Brazil in 1820. The mutation led to the formation of a conjoined twin enclosed within the rind of a seedless orange, and it proved to be a hit, so people began cultivating it in other regions. The first American location of cultivation was Riverside, California, explaining the alternate name of “Riverside Orange.”
History: It is believed that oranges were first produced in southeast Asia, sometime around 4000 BC. It was taken to Africa by travelers and found its way in the Roman soil by 200 BC. Sour oranges were introduced to the Arabs by 10 century A.D. The Portuguese came up with a new variety of orange called the Portugal orange. It is thought that Christopher Columbus was the first person to bring the seeds of orange to America during his second voyage in 1493. By 1820, orange grooves were thriving in St. Augustine, Florida. In 1873, three orange trees were brought from Brazil and planted in Riverside, California. It is interesting to note that one of the trees is still alive and bearing fruits.
A single mutation in 1820 in an orchard of sweet oranges planted at a monastery in Brazil yielded the navel orange, also known as the Washington, Riverside, or Bahia navel. The mutation causes the orange to develop a second orange at the base of the original fruit, opposite the stem, as a conjoined twin in a set of smaller segments embedded within the peel of the larger orange. From the outside, it looks similar to the human navel, hence its name.
Because the mutation left the fruit seedless, and therefore sterile, the only means available to cultivate more of this new variety is to graft cuttings onto other varieties of citrus tree. Two such cuttings of the original tree were transplanted[4] to Riverside, California in 1870, which eventually led to worldwide popularity.
