a laranja é o fruto produzido pela laranjeira , uma árvore da familia rutaceae. a laranja é um fruto híbrido que terá surgido na antiguidade a partir do cruzamento da cimboa com a tangerina. o sabor da laranja varia do doce ao levemente ácido, mas na natureza existem também as laranjas extremamente ácidas, que não são cultivadas comercialmente, e pertencem a outra espécie, citrus aurantium1 . frequentemente, esta fruta é descascada e comida ao natural, ou espremida para obter sumo. as pevides (pequenos caroços duros) são habitualmente removidas, embora possam ser usadas em algumas receitas. a casca exterior pode ser usada também em diversos pratos culinários, como ornamento, ou mesmo para dar algum sabor. o albedo, a camada branca interior da casca, de dimensão variável, raramente é utilizado, apesar de ter um sabor levemente doce. é recomendada para »quebrar» o sabor ácido da laranja na boca, após terminar de consumir o fruto. a laranja doce foi trazida da china para a europa no século xvi pelos portugueses. é por isso que as laranjas doces são denominadas »portuguesas» em vários países, especialmente nos bálcãs (por exemplo, laranja em grego é portokali e portakal em turco), em romeno é portocala e portogallo com diferentes grafias nos vários dialectos italianos. orange is the fruit produced by orange tree, a tree of the family rutaceae. orange is a hybrid fruit that have arisen in antiquity from crossing the cimboa with tangerine. the taste of orange vary from sweet to slightly acid, but in nature there are also extremely bitter oranges, which are not grown commercially, and belong to another species, citrus aurantium1. often, this fruit is peeled and food to natural, or squeezed for juice. the seeds (small hard lumps) are usually removed, but can be used in some recipes. the outer shell can also be used in many culinary dishes such as ornaments, or even to provide some flavor. the albedo, the inner white layer shell, a variable size, is seldom used, despite having a slightly sweet taste. it is recommended to »break» the orange sour taste in the mouth after consuming the fruit finish. the sweet orange was brought from china to europe in the sixteenth century by the portuguese. is why the sweet oranges are called »portuguese» in several countries, especially in the balkans (eg orange in greek is portokali and portakal in turkish) in romanian is portocala and portogallo with different spellings in various italian dialects. juicy and sweet and famous for its concentration of vitamin c, oranges are the perfect snack and give a special tang to many recipes; it is no surprise that they are one of the most popular fruits in the world. oranges are citrus rounded with a fine-textured skin and, of course, pink-orange as its juicy pulp. usually range from 5 to 8 cm in diameter. oranges are classified into two general categories - sweet and bitter - the first being the most commonly consumed. popular varieties of sweet orange (sinensis citrus) include valencia orange, orange-the-bay and jaffa, and the orange-to-blood, a hybrid species of smaller size, more aromatic flavor and red gradations by whole pulp. bitter orange (citrus aurantium) are often used to make jam or marmalade and its bark serves to flavor liqueurs such as cointreau and mariner. in addition to strengthening nutrition for the body than vitamin c orange brings, this fruit is also very rich in fiber. health benefits: infectious diseases; thrombosis; arteriosclerosis; cardiovascular diseases; constipation;