Jaffa orange

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The Jaffa orange, also known as the Shamouti orange, is a very sweet, almost seedless orange exported from Israel. They take their name from the city of Jaffa.

1 Characteristics
2 History
3 Symbolic value
4 Palestine/Israel Economy
5 Notes
6 External links

[edit] Characteristics

Jaffa oranges are very similar to Valencia oranges, though they are much sweeter in taste. They are characterized by their oval shape, sweet flavor, and strong aroma. The peel is light orange in color, and is normally very easy to remove from the fruit.

These oranges are very cold-tolerant, allowing them to grow outside of the tropical regions normally associated with growing oranges. Jaffa oranges ripen in the spring to summer months, making it a midseason fruit.

Jaffa oranges are susceptible to Alternaria, a type of fungus, and are prone to alternate bearing.

[edit] History

According to Daniel Rogov, the variety "originated in China and Cochin-China. No one knows precisely when the sweet orange was introduced into Palestine, but the first orange tree was probably brought to this part of the world in the early 16th century, when Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama brought a root of the tree from China to Portugal. It is from that single tree, still preserved in Lisbon at the home of the Count de Saint-Laurent that all of the oranges of Portugal, Spain, France and Israel have come.^[1]

The Jaffa Orange brand from Sarona

The first fruits to carry the "Jaffa orange" brand were from an agricultural colony of the Temple Society in Sarona (commonly pronounced Sharona, est. 1871).

According to the Hope Simpson Royal Commission Report of 1930,

"The cultivation of the orange, introduced by the Arabs before the commencement of Jewish settlement, has developed to a very great extent in consequence of that settlement. There is no doubt that the pitch of perfection to which the technique of plantation and cultivation of the orange and grape-fruit have been brought in Palestine is due to the scientific methods of the Jewish agriculturist."^[2]

This variety of orange was first brought to the United States by H. S. Stanford during the 1880s. Stanford brought the oranges to Florida, where they are still grown today.

[edit] Symbolic value

Jaffa oranges serve as a symbol in the Palestinian folklore and literature. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, some Palestinian farmers were separated from orange groves that their families had tended for generations. For many Palestinians, Jaffa oranges symbolize the bounty of what they view to be their lost homeland.^[3]

In Jewish Israeli culture, Jaffa oranges are associated with the pioneering age of Zionism. In the 19th century, Zionist pioneers and benefactors such as Edmond De Rotschild purchased orange orchards, introduced Jewish labor and modern agricultural methods to Palestine. Such agricultural initiatives were harnessed by Zionist leaders as one of the socialist pillars of early Zionism: transforming Jewish identity from the negative "wandering Jew" stereotype of the Jews as bourgeois, religious urban dwellers, small tradesmen and merchants, at best tolerated in their home countries and often persecuted, bound by Jewish orthodox traditions forbidding return to the Land of Israel until the Messiah comes, to the image of "the new Jew": a rationalist, self reliant worker/farmer living off the land, achieving self realization, security and equality through national independence and enterprise in Palestine.

[edit] Palestine/Israel Economy

By 1939, the combined Jewish and Arab Orange orchards in Palestine totaled 75,000 Acres, and were a primary export of the economy, employing over 100,000 workers. (Palestine population estimates for 1937 were 386,084 Jews and 875,947 Arabs). During World War II (1939-1945) The local orange agriculture sunk to a depression, follwed by postwar recovery with vigorous assistance by the British Mandate authorities. The 1948 Israeli War of independence brought deterioration and neglect to the fields, as well as transfer of many remaining Arab orchards to Jewish farmers. However, the years following Israel's independence heralded a revival of the industry, becoming one of Israel's top exports, among the largest producers in the World, and 'Jaffa' to be a well known trademark of the young country. Towards the end of the 20th century, however, decline set in again. Orange producers such as Spain and Brazil have taken the lead, particularly due to their relative abundance of water, inexpensive labour and Israel's retreat from Socialist principles (reducing Agricultural subsidies). Moreover, increased Israeli reliance on Palestinian-Arab labor in Agriculture exposed the industry to workforce shortages in times of Arab-Israeli clashes. In particular, Palestinian Terrorism was the main reason for Israel's eventual denial of entry for Palestinian laborers from Gaza, Judea and Samaria, following the Palestinian uprising in 1987 (The First Intifada).