I think that I have written about the blood oranges of Sicily (Arancia Rossa di Sicilia). They are one of my favorite foods in Sicily. During the orange season we keep a regular supply and I eat at least one per day. All of the fruit and veggie markets have huge containers full of them. There are a few different varieties as well. My favorite are the Tarocco. The blood oranges of Sicily are IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta), which basically means that in order for the oranges to be called Arancia Rossa di Sicilia they have to come from this specific region. They are protected just like Champagne must come from the Champagne region in order to be called Champagne. There is a website for the blood orange at http://www.tutelaaranciarossa.it/ It has a bunch of pictures, videos, and recipes all about blood oranges to fulfill all of your blood orange needs. I have a feeling I am going to be going to this website when I return back to the States and miss this fruit.
Here is a video about the IGP and the oranges… she explains it better than me albeit in Italian:
We use them for salads, margaritas, Aperol spritzes, and food fights with the peels. Luca is a huge fan of these oranges.
So after all that introduction….. Do they have any similar oranges in the States?!? I can’t remember ever seeing oranges like this back home, but I would love to find out if some of you ex-Sicilians have found them. I know that you must be missing them too!
Time for some blood orange picture magic:
