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The
Orange Citrus x sinensis is a Citrus tree, and the fruits
of this tree. It is a hybrid of cultivated origin, possibly
between C. maxima and C. reticulata. It is a small tree
growing to 10 m tall, with thorny shoots and evergreen
leaves 4-10 cm long. The fruit originated in southeast
Asia, either in India, Vietnam or southern China. The
original fruit is rather bitter compared to modern cultivars,
as is referred to as the sour orange (or alternately,
bitter, bigarade or Seville orange). The sour taste is
in fact attributed to the slight acidity of the orange's
juice. Oranges are widely grown in warm climates worldwide.
The flavors of orange vary from sweet to sour. The fruit
is commonly peeled and eaten fresh, or squeezed for its
juice. It has a thick bitter rind that is usually discarded,
but can be processed into animal feed by removing water
using pressure and heat. It can also be used in certain
recipes as flavoring or a garnish. |
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The
outer-most layer of the rind is grated or thinly veneered
with a tool called a zester, to produce orange zest which
is popular in cooking because it has a similar flavor
to the inner part of the orange. The white part of the
rind, pith, is almost always discarded. 'Ambersweet' orangesAll
citrus trees are of a single genus, Citrus, and remain
largely interbreedable; that is, there is only one "superspecies"
which includes lemons and limes as well as oranges. Nevertheless
names have been given to the various members of the citrus
family, oranges often being referred to as Citrus sinensis
and Citrus aurantium. All members of the genus Citrus
are considered berries because they have many seeds, are
fleshy, soft and derive from a single ovary. |
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