Blood Oranges - The Anti-Ageing Orange

Continuing our series on the health benefits of Sicilian food (see our recent story showcasing Olive Oil), we turn our attention to the Blood Orange.

The Blood Orange is believed to have appeared around 1600 as a product of natural mutation. Also known as its varietal names, Moro, Tarocco and Sanguinello, the Blood Orange is native exclusively to Sicily. In fact, it naturally occurs in and around Mount Etna in Catania Province. (This provides an even better reason for its name ;)

Blood Oranges contain a pigment called anthocyanin which is not typically found in citrus but more so in other red fruits and flowers.

Blood oranges are great for juicing and using as you would common orange juice. The dark red colour of the juice makes it a good cocktail ingredient. Use fresh blood orange segments in salads, sauces, sorbets, granitas and compotes.

While Blood Oranges have been imported and grow in many other countries, nothing beats the original Sicilian flavour and kick. With over 40% higher levels of Vitamin C content than standard orange varieties, Blood Oranges have been shown to provide a natural resistance to cancer as well as assisting in the prevention of ocular disease, obesity, heart disease and stress.

Recent studies have proven so effective that a pharmaceutical-grade product, called ROC (Red Orange Complex) has been released to the medical and health & beauty community as an anti-ageing product.

To read more on the medical properties of Blood Oranges here. To read more about someone's obsession with Blood Oranges go here.

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Want to Live Longer? The Answer is Simple - Eat more Sicilian Food

A Sicilian orientated Mediterranean diet was one of the key factors to longevity; so says renown nutritional academic and endocrinologist at the University of Palermo in Italy, Dr Ligia Dominguez. She states that Mediterranean countries, in particular, Italy enjoy what she terms as "successful ageing" via the Mediterranean Diet.

Olive oil is the key to this beneficial diet, "An olive oil-based diet, together with physical activity, helps to avoid the development of age-associated diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases." says Dr Ligia Dominguez. "Olive oil lowers blood cholesterol levels, lowers blood sugar levels and blood pressure, and prevents the formation of free radicals, offering protection from some types of cancer".

What makes Sicily the ideal place for olives is based on the fact that the olive tree is difficult to cultivate. You cannot plant it just anywhere, Professor Paolo Inglese of the Department of Horticulture at the University of Palermo, says.

"The olive is a specific plant. Even in Sicily, one of the biggest producers of olive oil in the world, each cultivar has its own specific place. It cannot be successfully grown elsewhere."

As a result, every olive oil-producing region of Sicily has its own cultivar. Nocellara del Belice, which produces oil with a nutty taste, for example, is grown close to the capital, Palermo; Nocellara Etnea favours the volcanic areas near Mt Etna, while Ogliarola messinese is planted in the Messina area in the northern part of Sicily.

Sicily has been cultivating olives since the 7th century BC, Prof Inglese said, showing photos of trees hundreds of years old. Sicilian olive oil tends to be strongly flavoured and spicy, and it usually has a pronounced grassy fragrance, he said.

Read more of this story in the Bangkok Post.

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