May 13

Tamale Tuesday Twist present... Today´s Story.

Hi guys!!! Today I will present you the orange story hope you like it!!

Among Europeans, Romans were the first to taste this juicy fruit. It reached the Roman empire around the 1st century BC. The credit for introducing this fruit to the Roman empire goes to the Persian traders, who had trade relations with India and Ceylon. So, oranges from southern India reached the Roman empire, and became quite popular among the nobility and the military classes. The Romans developed the first orchard of oranges in North Africa, in around the 1st century AD. The oranges grown in North Africa were mainly supplied to the Mediterranean countries. Soon, the orange groves established by the Romans spread from Libya to Morocco.The Roman empire declined in the 6th century, and subsequently, the world witnessed the rise of the Islamic Caliphate. With the decline of the Roman empire, the orange industry of Europe also suffered a setback.North Africa came under the dominion of the Islamic Caliphate in the 7th century, which led to the closure of the trade routes to the Mediterranean countries. The Islamic rulers established trade relations with the Middle East, and thus oranges reached the Middle Eastern countries.But a revival of the orange trade to Europe took place in the 11th century. The growers used seeds of Persian oranges, imported from Spain and Morocco, in order to produce an improved variety of oranges. This new variety is known as Seville orange, and is widely used in marmalades and liquor.The sweet orange reached Europe in 1500 BC. The Portuguese traders were known to introduce this fruit to Europe. The actual commerce of sweet oranges took place with the discovery of a new trade route to India, near the Cape of Good Hope. Soon, oranges reached the Mediterranean region. In many Mediterranean languages, the sweet orange is also known as the Portugal orange.

Lots of love...
Queen