Spain, as one of the sunniest and warmest countries in Europe, is known for its delicious oranges. But how did they originate here?
Citrus fruits come from the East and it was in the mountains of northern India, in the foothills of the Himalayas, where they began to grow and mix varieties. In ancient China, the secrets of grafting and the possibility of having branches of different varieties on the same tree were already known.
In 1781, a Spanish parish priest, Vicente Monceau Vidal, returned from his travels in Asia to the Spanish town of Carcaixent, 40 kilometres south of Valencia on the banks of the river Jucar. There he planted an entire orange grove, and it was a complete success. Previously, this land was almost unappreciated because of its arid soil. However, this first experimental crop was so successful that it soon spread to neighbouring towns in the region.
Prior to this, orange trees in Spain were ornamental trees, most of which had bitter fruits, the fruit of which was used to extract their essences, flavour sweets and dishes using the peel or for medicinal purposes.
The sweet orange, which has great commercial value and valuable flavour, came out of the Ribera Alta region and spread throughout the world from the 19th century onwards. Nowadays, the provinces of Valencia, Seville and Huelva are the largest citrus producers in Spain, while Murcia, Alicante and Málaga lead the way in lemon production.
Now that very town of Carcaixent is home to the “Orange Cathedral”. This place was essentially a large warehouse for packing and sorting oranges. Today, this warehouse is the symbolic place of Valencia’s oranges and belongs to the town hall of the municipality, where all kinds of events are held.
