Seville Orange

British marmalade

Seville oranges are inseparable from British marmalade culture. Each year from late January to mid-February, the brief season sees crates of Seville oranges arrive in British supermarkets and greengrocers, triggering a nationwide marmalade-making tradition. The high pectin content of the thick peel and pith, combined with the intense bitter-sour flavour, makes Seville oranges ideal for marmalade — the bitterness that makes them unpleasant to eat becomes desirable in a sweet preserve.

Moorish Seville

The bitter orange was brought to Spain by the Moors during their conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, and planted extensively around Seville from the 10th century. The avenue of bitter orange trees in Seville’s historic centre — still producing fruit today — is one of the city’s defining visual features. The fruit was used medicinally, in cooking, and for perfume. Sweet oranges arrived in Europe later and largely displaced bitter oranges for fresh eating, but bitter oranges retained their position in marmalade, liqueur production, and perfumery.

Perfumery and liqueurs

Bitter orange contributes to three major perfume ingredients: neroli oil (cold-pressed from the flowers), petitgrain oil (distilled from leaves and twigs), and bitter orange peel oil. These are among the most-used citrus oils in fine perfumery. The dried peel is also the primary flavouring of triple sec liqueurs including Cointreau, Grand Marnier, and the traditional Curaçao.

The thick peel

Unlike sweet oranges, Seville oranges have a very thick, heavily pitted rind filled with oil glands. This rind makes up a proportionally large part of the fruit weight and is rich in pectin — ideal for jam-setting. The pith (white inner rind) is not wasted in marmalade; finely sliced, it provides texture and additional pectin.