Its slow reaction to a bitter dilactone is the reason why orange juice turns bitter after some time. Carotenoids are responsible for the orange colour of the fruit skin. Origin When oranges appeared in Europe in the 16.th century, they were originally thought to be of Chinese origin, but the fruit more probably originates from Northern India. For the derivation of the genus name Citrus see lemon . Care must be taken not to overdose, otherwise dishes may taste perfumed and bitter.
Orange peel is, similar to lemon peel, capable of softening other taste impressions.
Again, careful dosage is essential. See tarragon for sauce maltaise , a butter-based sauce flavoured with fresh orange peel. In the Far East, orange is not much used as a spice. Some Chinese recipes, however, use orange pulp, orange juice or orange peel to flavour meat. A great example to illustate this usage is au larm , a spicy beef stew from the highlands of Sichuan.