This month, Sevilla’s famous oranges are at their peak of ripeness. Soon, we will see city workers up among the branches tossing the bright orange spheres to buckets and tarps below or hear the signature mechanical vibrations of the machines that rapidly shake the trees while the ripe fruit tumbles to the tarps ready to catch them. But now, as I walk along all the calles and avenidas of our beautiful city, the plump, bright oranges that fill the nearly 40,000 trees around the city never fail to make me smile. Like thousands of small suns brightening the cold winter days, the oranges of Seville are one more thing that brings me joy in this wonderful city.
Sevilla and oranges have been inextricably intertwined for as long as Sevilla has existed. After they were brought to Europe by Genovese sailors in the 9th and 10th centuries, the ruling Moors planted them all over Spain, with the highest concentration in Andalucia. In the 12th century, the Patio de los Naranjos was constructed in a courtyard of Sevilla’s Cathedral, and it still stands today, providing beauty and shade for the thousands of visitors there every day. The gardens of the Real Alcazar, too, are planted with orange trees, some hundreds of years old.
Sadly, one can not just reach up and pluck an orange from one of the trees to enjoy for a snack – the oranges are far too bitter for that. Rumored to bring happiness to those in possession of them, the oranges, their blossoms, and leaves have been used throughout history for many purposes besides eating: the Moors used them for healing lotions, medicinal oils, and other concoctions, as well as perfumes and sleep aids. Today, you will find many products using Sevilla’s iconic oranges, from soaps and teas, to chocolates, baked goods, and even liqueurs. Perhaps most famously, marmalade made from Sevilla’s bitter oranges, specifically those from the Palacio de las Dueñas, was a particular favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth.
While some find the early spring the best time to enjoy these beautiful trees when the light, sweet fragrance of the new blossoms blankets the busy city, my favorite time is now, when the bright green leaves and rows of trees laden with ripe fruit can help but bring happiness to even the dreariest winter day. I guess the Moors were right about those happiness-giving properties!
If you’d like to experience the happiness from Sevilla’s oranges in person, email us to find out how to make living in Spain a reality!
