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Oranges, one of the world’s most popular and sought-after fruits, did not always have that bright, vibrant hue. Originally, around 8 million years ago, they sprouted in various shapes and colours. We explain more about this interesting fact that you may not have known, as well as whether the colour orange or the fruit came first.
According to History Facts, oranges first germinated in the Himalayas about 8 million years ago, and then spread to India and China. However, at that time oranges had a different appearance and colour, with some yellow ones looking more like lemons or grapefruit. The fact is that ‘all the oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits we eat today are descended from just a handful of ancient species, namely citrons, grapefruits and mandarins, all native to South and East Asia’. In fact, oranges can still be found green in warm areas today, as they turn orange when exposed to cold. In this sense, if they turn orange, it is because they have been altered or treated to give them that familiar orange hue.
So how did we arrive at the oranges we recognise today? This transformation was the result of extensive selective breeding over thousands of years, which standardised their appearance and improved their flavour from possibly bitter to sweet. According to History Facts, a period of ‘intensive cultivation’ began around the 16th century, which greatly influenced its modern form.
Another curious fact about oranges is explained by Word Smarts: the name ‘orange’ first referred to the fruit and then to the colour. Its origin is in the Sanskrit word nāranga via the Persian and Arabic languages, and later via the French word for the citrus fruit, pomme d’orenge. It was not used as a descriptor of colour in English until the 16th century, many centuries after the cultivation of oranges began.
