Data source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 169097 (Oranges, raw, all commercial varieties).
Fun facts
- An orange needs cool nights for its orange peel to show. In hot places like the Mekong Delta, oranges ripen while still green outside, like the famous cam sanh of Vinh Long, and taste just as sweet.
- 100g of orange gives 53.2mg of vitamin C, 2.4g of fiber and 47 kcal. It also has 40mg of calcium, quite high compared with many other fruits.
- Most of the fiber sits in the segment membranes and the white pith. Eating whole segments keeps it; straining the juice removes almost all of it.
- A 250ml glass of orange juice takes about 3 oranges and goes down in a minute. Eating 3 oranges takes far longer and fills you up much more.
Choosing and storing
Pick fruit that feels heavy, with thin, taut, slightly glossy skin; heavy oranges are usually juicy. Do not judge by color, since green oranges can be perfectly ripe. Oranges keep a few days at room temperature and one to two weeks in the fridge. Peeled or cut oranges are best eaten the same day.
Cooking it well
Fresh segments keep all the vitamin C and fiber. If you prefer a drink, blend whole segments instead of squeezing and straining, and drink it right away, since vitamin C fades as it sits. Finely grated zest from the outer peel adds wonderful aroma to salads, sauces and cakes with no added sugar. The sugar story behind a glass of pure orange juice is told in what is fructose.
