Cara cara blood orange

The Spruce Eats: What Are Cara Cara Oranges? Cara Cara oranges are oranges known for their sweet flavor, low acidity, and pinkish-red flesh, similar to the color of pink grapefruit. Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks. Cara Cara oranges are a winter cultivar of the species Citrus sinensis, which also includes cultivars such as navel oranges, blood oranges, cara cara blood orange Valencia oranges.

Cara Cara oranges are round to slightly oval, from three to four inches in diameter, with medium to thick rind that is bright orange in color and features a slightly pebbly texture. Underneath the rind is a spongy white pith. The fruit itself is seedless and made up of 10 to 11 segments of tender, juicy flesh with a sweet, berry-like flavor and little acidity. Like all navel oranges, Cara Cara oranges are seedless, and are cultivated via grafting, where a flowering bud is attached to another tree. Cara Cara oranges are believed to be a hybrid of the Brazilian Bahia orange and the Washington navel orange.

Navel oranges are available from December through April, though they reach their peak sweetness in January and February. While they can be used in cooking and baking, they are mostly used in raw preparations. Cara Cara oranges can be used in baking, including their zest and their juice, as well as for flavoring sauces, and can be cut up and served in salads. Unlike conventional navel oranges, whose juice can become slightly bitter when exposed to oxygen, Cara Cara oranges produce a sweet juice.