Interesting Facts About Oranges That You Might Have Missed

Oranges are quite popular fruits, and just like the name itself, they are orange in color. There are some facts about oranges that people know for a long time now, some of them we’ll be going to share with you today.

Oranges are quite renowned for being rich in vitamin C. These round fruits are used not only in different recipes in our kitchen but they also find application for other uses. Although they usually grow in hot countries, it’s easy to find oranges in every season of the year almost in every corner of the world. These juicy citrus fruits don’t only have a resplendent taste but they also have the perfect smell, whenever we peel their skin.

Although nobody knows for sure, it is assumed that oranges first originated from China. And then they were carried to other countries of the world by traders and navigators. These tasty and nutritious fruits are not only a good source of vitamins, but also of antioxidants and minerals. While some people like to eat them fresh as snacks during the day, others prefer to drink orange juice more.

It is said that a glass of fresh orange juice per day is enough to meet the requirements of vitamin C. However, some people even use orange for other purposes, like making orange jam. Let us see some facts about oranges, although some of them you might have known before. But there might also be new things that you might find interesting.

Facts about oranges

1. There are many types of oranges

Lemon, grapefruits, mandarins, tangerines all of these fruits belong to the citrus family. But there are also types of oranges only within the orange category. According to Botanica online oranges are classified into two basic groups: sweet oranges and bitter oranges.  But in general, there are around 600 varieties of oranges. And around 30 types of them can be found in the markets around the world. They usually vary in the thickness and color of the peel. Some of them have more juice than the others and the pulp might be more yellowish.

2. Brazil is the world’s leading producer of oranges

According to World Atlas, the consumption of orange has grown widely throughout the last years. This is why orange output has also increased and it is estimated that the current annual orange production is 50-70 million tons. Out of this total, some of the oranges are sold as whole fruits while the remaining part is used in making juices and for other uses. However, the leading orange producer in the world is currently Brazil, and oranges are mostly produced in the state of Sao Paulo. The second-largest orange producer is The US, merely the country of Florida. Whereas the third largest orange producer is China.

3. Not every orange is orange

For a long time now, we have been asking which came first, orange the color or orange the fruit? Well, the accurate answer is that the fruit was named first. According to the records, the origin of the word orange might come from a Dravidian word meaning “fragrant.” A true fact is that the peel of many oranges, especially those in the warmer countries is green. But contrary to the belief that green oranges need time to ripe, in fact, the green peel is not an indicator of ripeness. In warmer countries, oranges stay green all year round. But in Europe and the United States, they usually come in orange colors in supermarkets because just as we said people associate them as unripe.

4. Oranges have many health benefits

According to BBC food oranges are a good source of fibre, B vitamins, vitamin A, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant and this is why oranges have many nutritional benefits for our well-being. These round fruits usually have ten segments, but sometimes the number might slightly change. Inside these segments, there are seeds in almost every type of oranges. According to research, the antioxidants found in oranges can help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol but they also may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

5. Orange peel is highly usable

We’ve been adding orange peel to add flavor to our cakes for some time now but orange skin turns out to find many other uses among people. After all, why throw away the leftover orange skin when in fact we can use it? Besides, it’s not only the inside part, the orange itself that is high in minerals and vitamins, but the orange’s peel too. Many studies show that using orange rinds can be used as a repellent for bugs. Another way to use orange peel is to reduce the stink of your shoes or that of your garbage can. All you have to do is to let the orange peels in the places where you want the stink to go away, and then wait for the results.

Did you find any of these facts interesting?

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