Jaffa orange

Jaffa oranges on sale at Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem

The Jaffa orange, also Shamouti orange, is a sweet, almost seedless orange variety. Originally developed by Arab farmers in Palestine in the mid-19th century, it takes its name from the city of Jaffa where it was first produced for export. It became a primary citrus export of the State of Israel following its establishment in 1948. One of three main varieties of oranges grown in the Middle East, the Jaffa orange is also cultivated in Cyprus, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. At one time the cooperation in growing and exporting these oranges was seen as a symbol of positive Arab-Jewish relations.

The Jaffa orange is also known for lending the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo the nickname "Big Orange".

Characteristics

Jaffa oranges, also known as shamouti, are practically seedless, with a flavour that has been described as "excellent" and "sweet and fine." The two other main orange varieties cultivated in the region are the navel orange and the bitter orange; the latter is grown in Iran for its peel. The Jaffa orange is distinguished by its oval shape and thick peel, which is deep orange in color and normally very easy to remove from the fruit. Its tough skin makes it "especially suitable for export". As it produces very little juice and has a tendency towards delayed bitterness, it is unsuitable for juice production, though it does store well.

These oranges are very cold-tolerant, allowing them to grow outside of the subtropical regions normally associated with growing oranges. Jaffa oranges are susceptible to Alternaria, a type of fungus, and are prone to alternate bearing.

History

In Palestine

Orange groves at Bir Salim

Shipping Jaffa oranges for export, 1952

Located at the crossroads between Africa, western Asia, and Europe, Palestine produced a number of commodities for export via imperial and global distribution networks throughout the late Islamic period (1200-1900 CE). Among these were soap, sugar, barley, oranges, and cotton. Though cotton left its mark throughout the region, the only commodity, "that remains a symbol of production in Palestine is the Jaffa orange."

The Jaffa orange was a new variety developed by Arab farmers after emerging in mid-19th century Palestine as a mutation on a tree of the Baladi variety near Jaffa. While the sour orange (C. Aurantium) was brought westward from China and India by Arab traders, who probably introduced it to Sicily and Spain, the Jaffa orange was developed from the sweet orange (C. sinensis) which was brought from China to the Mediterranean region by Vasco de Gama, the Portuguese explorer, in 1498.

After the Crimean War (1853–56), the most important innovation in Palestinian agriculture was the rapid expansion in citrus cultivation. Foremost among the varieties cultivated was the Jaffa orange, and mention of it being exported to Europe first appears in British consular reports in the 1850s. One factor cited in the growth of the export market was the development of steam ships in the first half of the 19th century. Their arrival in the Port of Jaffa enabled the export of oranges to the European markets in days rather than weeks. Another reason cited for the increased concentration on the production of Jaffa oranges was the relative lack of European control over the cultivation of this crop, as compared to the cultivation of cotton; while the latter had been the primary commodity crop of Palestine, it was soon outpaced by the Jaffa orange.

Exports grew from 200,000 oranges in 1845 to 38 million oranges by 1870. The citrus plantations of this time were primarily owned by wealthy Arab merchants and notables, rather than small farmers, as the fruits required large capital investments with no yield for several years. An 1872 account of Jaffa by a European traveller notes that, "Surrounding Jaffa are the orange gardens for which it is justly extolled, and which are a considerable source of wealth to the owners. The annual value of fruits grown in Jaffa was said to be 10,000 pounds."

The prosperity of the orange industry brought increased European interest and involvement in the development of Jaffa. In 1902, a study of the growth of the orange industry by Zionist officials outlined the different Arab owners and their primary export markets as England, Turkey, Egypt and Austria-Hungary. While Arab cultivation methods were considered "primitive," an in-depth study of the financial expenditure involved reveals that they were ultimately more cost-efficient than the Zionist-European enterprises that followed them some two decades later.

Jaffa Orange brand from Sarona

The first fruits to carry the "Jaffa orange" label were marketed by the farmers of Sarona, a German Templer colony established in 1871. In the 1880s, an American grower, H.S. Sanford, tried to cultivate the Jaffa orange in Florida.

Packing oranges in Petah Tikva, 1938

Jewish immigrants to Palestine adopted the Jaffa orange variety from Arab farmers. According to the Hope Simpson Royal Commission Report of 1930,

"The cultivation of the orange, introduced by the Arabs before the commencement of Jewish settlement, has developed to a very great extent in consequence of that settlement. There is no doubt that the pitch of perfection to which the technique of plantation and cultivation of the orange and grape-fruit have been brought in Palestine is due to the scientific methods of the Jewish agriculturist."

By 1939, the Jewish and Arab orange orchards in Palestine totaled 75,000 acres (300 km²), employing over 100,000 workers, and their produce was a primary export. During World War II (1939–1945) citrus-growing declined, but recovered after the war with the vigorous assistance of the British Mandate authorities.

In Israel

Jaffa oranges are harvested in Israel between November and March, with the marketing season beginning in September and extending through until April. More than half the annual crop is exported, and Israel is a main provider of other citrus fruits to the European Union. In the 1950s and 1960s, Jaffa oranges became emblems of the Israeli state. A general decline in the importance of agriculture to the Israeli economy, extreme limits on available water resources, and the reliance on migrant laborers has reduced productivity. Overshadowed by manufacturing industries, such as diamonds and precision instruments, Israel nonetheless continues to export a large number of citrus fruits to Europe.

See also

• Agriculture in Israel
• Economy of Israel

Bibliography

• Baram, Uzi; Carroll, Lynda (2000). A historical archaeology of the Ottoman Empire: breaking new ground (Illustrated ed.). Springer. ISBN 0306463113, 9780306463112. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); Unknown parameter |editors= ignored (|editor= suggested) (help)
• Basan, Ghillie (2007). The Middle Eastern Kitchen. Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0781811902, 9780781811903. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Derr, Mark (1989). Some kind of paradise: a chronicle of man and the land in Florida (Illustrated ed.). W. Morrow (Original from the University of California). ISBN 068807359X, 9780688073596. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Gerber, Haim (1982). "Modernization in Nineteenth-Century Palestine: The Role of Foreign Trade". Middle Eastern Studies - Taylor & Francis, Ltd.
• Issawi, Charles (2006). An Economic History of the Middle East and North Africa (Reprint ed.). Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0415379989, 9780415379984. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Krämer, Gudrun (2008). A history of Palestine: from the Ottoman conquest to the founding of the state of Israel (Illustrated ed.). Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691118973, 9780691118970. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Ladaniya, Milind S. (2008). Citrus fruit: biology, technology and evaluation (Illustrated ed.). Academic Press. ISBN 0123741300, 9780123741301. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• LeVine, Mark (2005). Overthrowing geography: Jaffa, Tel Aviv, and the struggle for Palestine, 1880-1948 (Illustrated ed.). University of California Press. ISBN 0520239946, 9780520239944. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Marshall Cavendish (2006). World and Its Peoples: The Middle East, Western Asia, and Northern Africa (Illustrated ed.). Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 0761475710, 9780761475712. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Page, Martin (2008). Growing Citrus: The Essential Gardener's Guide (Illustrated ed.). Timber Press. ISBN 0881929069, 9780881929065. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)

External links

• Orange Varieties
• Pre-1948 Palestine Statistics
• 120 Years of Citrus in Israel
• An orange Israeli icon turns green