Blood Orange

Blood orange is a medium citrus fruit with orange skin and deep crimson to ruby flesh. The flavor is sweet-tart with subtle raspberry notes, and its juice runs a vivid garnet while the zest carries bright aromatic oils. Segments hold their shape for salads, the juice colors sauces and cocktails, and the peel candies well for garnish.

It developed in Sicily and southern Italy, with cultivars such as Moro, Tarocco, and Sanguinello spreading across the Mediterranean and to California. Cool winter nights trigger anthocyanin development, concentrating North American harvests in midwinter to early spring.