The Seville is a ‘sour’ orange as opposed to a ‘sweet’ orange. This is a medium to large, thick-skinned orange with high levels of bitterness and acidity. The majority of Seville oranges are used to make marmalade, though they are also used for juice production, jam, crystallised fruit, liqueurs, and the skin yields very good citrus oil.
Manufacturers of marmalade have only one chance each year to stock-up on supplies of Seville oranges which are harvested in Spain in January and February. To keep production going throughout the year, they buy a large proportion of the crop and freeze it until needed in the factory.
Good Fruit Guide Rating: *****
For culinary use only, Seville oranges are perfect for wonderful home-made marmalade.
Culinary, sour, marmalade.
Names: Seville; Sevillano; Citrus aurantium L. = Sour orange
Origin: The sour orange is thought to have originated in the region of North East India-Burma-China.
Grown in: Seville and Málaga in southern Spain; China and Japan.
Harvest & Availability
- January: Spain
- February: Spain
- March:
- April:
- May:
- June:
- July:
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- December:
Websites:
Recipes for Marmalade: The simplest marmalade is made from Seville oranges, sugar and water with a sugar to orange ratio of 2 to 1. For various different approaches to the art of marmalades, here are a selection of recipes:
- BBC Food – Ultimate Seville Orange Marmalade
- Delia Online – Traditional Seville Orange Marmalade
- River Cottage – Seville Orange Marmalade
- The Wednesday Chef – Seville Marmalade (recipe inspired by Nigel Slater)
