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The many faces of Seville's bitter oranges

  • Alex Badescu
  • Sep 26, 2024
  • 1 min read


an abstract drawing over a pale orange background depicts a vision of marmalade jars in a tree and a secpnd vision of the chemical notatin of marmalade
When I came to Seville, I saw things through a marmalade lens

an image broken into two panels with the first panel depicting two white dogs over a green background playing fetch with an orange. In the bottom panel there are three images. The first is of an arm with a tattoo of an orange, the second shows magnets for sale with the image of an orange and the third depicts a duck swimming in water with an orange floating next to it
Bitter oranges are a symbol of the city, tightly woven into its fabric. They're everywhere from tattoos to fridge magnets.

Over a pink background a bottle of 'vino de naranja' is next to a spilt wine glass. In the spill there is an image of orange and palm trees.
For all their abundance, bitter oranges don't often appear in local food traditions. But their presence acts as a window to a rich past.

a three panel image with the first panel depicting a simple drawing of a tree seedling with three leaves and one root reaching into the soil; the second image shows a stronger sapling with a robust root structure and the third shows the bushy abundance of green orange tree leaves studded with bright oranges.
Seeded in grardens of Al-Andalus by way of ancient trade routes

Over a bright blue background, there is a simple outline of buildings on a street lined with bushy green orange trees studded with bright oranges.
Chosen through the centuries to grace courtyards and streets, finding symbiosis with 18th century marmalade makers.


the image of a squashed ripe with pale orange juice and seeds spilling from the busted orange peel sits against a white background with a simple drawing of paving stones.
Tens of thousands of trees now punctuate the year in Seville: The increasing temp of ripe oranges thudding on the ground...

Against a pale yellow background, the top half of a person is hidden in the lush green orange tree they are standing on a stepladder to harvest from. Below the tree there are three baskets brimming with oranges and some oranges that have fallen from the tree during the harvest.
...gives way to a flurry of activity from the annual street orange harvest

against a black background, a window is opened to a deep blue night sky specked with line drawings of orange blossoms to depict their scent wafting through the air.
...followed by the sweet, fleeting scent of azahar (orange blossom)

a large orange sits against a pale orange background. A hand is reaching out from each of the four corners of the image to touch the orange in the centre.
All a touchstone, connecting the city through a citrus sensory rhythm.

Works Cited



Alex Badescu is a British-Romanian writer and creative, specialising in the world of food and drink. She is drawn to areas of intersection and pulls from her background in natural sciences, distilling, and art to explore connectivity within gastronomy. Alex is the founder of ‘CHEERS TO...’ – an upcoming publication focused on drinks and culture. She is also a long-time marmalade-maker and is currently working on a short film about citrus.You can find her on instagram @alexbadart and @alexbdistilling.


 
 
 

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