Laraha

Laraha (Citrus aurantium currassuviencis) is a citrus tree that grows on the island of Curaçao, and the fruits of this tree. A descendant of the domesticated orange, the fruit of the laraha is too bitter and too fibrous to be considered edible.

History and use

Seville orange trees transplanted on Curaçao from Spain in 1527 did not thrive in the arid climate and soil of this Southern Caribbean island. As the trees were then abandoned, the fruit evolved from a bright orange color and sweet taste into the green and inedible bitter laraha. The dried peels of the laraha, however, were discovered to be pleasantly aromatic, and experimentation with the extracts of these peels led to the creation of Curaçao liqueur.

See also

• Bitter orange

References

• Benjamin, Alan Fredric (2002). Jews of the Dutch Caribbean. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-27439-7.
• Gastmann, Albert (1978). Historical Dictionary of the French and Netherlands Antilles. Scarecrow Press. p. 110. ISBN 0-8108-1153-7.