Seville oranges

 In early December I was in Andalusia, which is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It borders Spain's southern coast. The capital is Seville. Its best known export is probably the Seville oranges. These bitter oranges grow on trees lining the city streets. They are very common both in Seville and other towns in the region.

The oranges are ripening in December and are almost ready for harvesting. Large quantities are collected and sent to the UK for marmalade. In Spain they are used mostly for aromatherapy and herbal medicine, but not as a foodstuff.

Trees in Antequera - 

From Wikipedia : "According to legend, the Arabs brought the bitter orange to Seville from East Asia via Iraq around the 10th century to beautify and perfume their patios and gardens, as well as to provide shade. The flowers of the tree are a source of neroli oil, commonly used in perfumery and in skin lotions for massage. In 2021, the municipal water company, Emasesa, began a pilot scheme to use the methane produced as the fruit ferments to generate clean electricity. The company plans to use 35 tonnes of fruit to generate clean energy to power one of the city's water purification plants."

Wikipedia page Bitter Orange says "The bitter orange spread from Southeast Asia via India and Iran to the Islamic world as early as 700 C.E. It was introduced to Spain in the 10th century by the Moors."

Christmas lights draped around an orange tree -

The bitter orange trees are distinguishable from the sweet oranges as they have a double leaf -

There are thought to be over 40,000 orange trees in Seville. They belong to the local government body responsible for them and, as such, any tampering with the oranges or trees could leave you open to prosecution. When the oranges are ready for picking, the local governing body takes on temporary staff to harvest and bag the crop. 

And here they are in my local supermarket, on 10 Jan -

Marmalade is very popular in Britain, mostly as a spread on toast for breakfast. And of course it was made famous by Paddington bear! And even more so when Paddington had tea with Queen Elizabeth.