Blood Oranges

"Blood oranges are a rather gruesome name for a wonderfully sweet and beautifully colored citrus fruit. Blood oranges tend to be a bit smaller than regular oranges, with a thick, pitted skin that may or may not have a reddish blush but generally looks like a regular orange from the outside – until, that is, it is cut open. The inside flesh of a blood orange is brilliantly dark pink, maroon, or even dark blood red. Hence, as you might guess, their name. Along with their lovely red color, blood oranges tend to have a noticeable raspberry edge to their flavor.

Why Are Blood Oranges Red?

The red color in blood oranges is the result of anthocyanin, which develops when these citrus fruits ripen during warm days tempered with cooler nights. Anthocyanin is an antioxidant, and starts to develop along the edges of the peel and then follows the edges of the segments before moving into the flesh of the orange, so blood oranges can be lined or streaked with red instead of fully blood colored, depending on the season, when they were harvested, and their particular variety. (You can see the centers of the segments in the blood orange pictured above are starting to take on a reddish hue, but aren't nearly as dark and luscious looking as the edges.)"

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