Naranjas

The oranges are really ripening now. Almost everywhere you look there are trees covered in oranges. They do look cool. Toffee tells me they taste great. I don’t do orange juice, Don Duende and Señora Comecocos get their full quota of vitamin C. Mind you, they need it.

Factoid: The word orange is derived from the Sanskrit "naranga" which means 'orange tree'.. Spain clung to the original by calling the orange "naranja".

The first orange was brought to Europe by the Moors, who used oranges medicinally, as well as in their religious services, they also brought irrigation technology as the orange had flourished in Spain, despite the country's arid weather. Arab merchants brought the bitter orange tree to Andalusia, Seville and Valencia. Sweet oranges were first planted in the 15th century. When oranges first reached Europe, they were so rare that they became a symbol of opulence to be offered as luxury gifts. It was the Spaniards who introduced it to South America and Mexico, and today, Brazil and the US account for over two-thirds of the world production.