Companies and farms worldwide have claimed that oranges are a fruit because they’re tangy, delicious, and a beneficial source of vitamin C. However, most people don’t bother asking why oranges are a fruit.
An orange is a fruit that grows from a flower on an orange tree. They come from the citrus species and are sweet in flavor. This type of fruit also has seeds and a fleshy core. People have come to know this popular fruit through many different culinary creations.
This article will talk about why oranges classify as a fruit rather than a vegetable. I’ll also discuss the defining factors that classify oranges as fruit within the botanical and culinary industry, so let’s get started, shall we?
Oranges Meet the Standards of a Fruit
Oranges have a great flavor that people everywhere have come to know. Yet, their flavor isn’t the only reason why they classify as a fruit. For a plant to be considered a fruit, it must meet both botanical and culinary standards.
Oranges, fortunately, are a fruit because they have all of the following:
- The fruit comes from a flower.
- The fruit has a flesh-like core.
- The fruit has one or more seeds inside.
- The fruit is sweet.
If a plant doesn’t meet all of these standards, it may be considered a vegetable.
Vegetables are any plants that people can eat and enjoy. Most plants are classified as vegetables until they meet all of the necessary requirements for a fruit to be called a fruit.
Interesting side note: Tomatoes meet all the requirements of fruit, yet many people assume them to be vegetables. Fruit doesn’t always have to be sweet to be classified as a fruit, as this shows you.
Many types of oranges grow from orange trees, and they all meet the standards of fruit because oranges, ultimately, classify as fruit. The only time an orange might deviate from its original standards is if an orange goes through the selective breeding process.
Sometimes, people can grow oranges without seeds, and those oranges may have a few slight variations.
Nevertheless, an orange is an orange, despite what’s evident.
There Is More Than One Type of Orange
When we visit the grocery store, we can purchase a few different types of citrus fruit. Our taste preferences help us decide what kinds of oranges we’ll consume. All kinds of oranges fall under two culinary standards.
These categories are:
- Sweet oranges
- Bitter oranges
Sweet oranges have a tangy flavor and are very common. They are most suitable for orange juice, carbonated drinks, and they’re even a great snack to put in your kid’s lunch box before you send them off to school.
There are four well-known types of sweet oranges:
- Blood oranges
- Sweet oranges
- Common oranges
- Navel oranges
On the other hand, bitter oranges aren’t the oranges we tend to buy while we stroll around the supermarket for a refreshing and tasty treat. These oranges give products like tea and marmalade their citrus flavor.
There are three main types of bitter oranges:
- Seville orange
- Bergamot orange
- Trifoliate orange
Other types of oranges fall under these two categories, but the most common oranges that we buy and consume daily are listed above.
Oranges Are Healthy
One of the most common misconceptions about oranges is that they’re unhealthy because they have high sugar.
However, oranges are healthy, and they provide us with many incredible benefits. Orange juice, carbonated drinks, and even orange-flavored snacks have more significant amounts of sugar than the actual raw fruit, and a lot of it is added in and processed.
Having a raw orange a day as a snack can provide significant benefits to our health. This fruit can aid our body in the following ways:
- Oranges offer large amounts of Vitamin C.
- They help boost our ability to fight off germs.
- They provide nutrients that protect our cells.
- Oranges create collagen, helping our skin.
- Oranges are anti-inflammatory.
- They aid our body’s ability to digest iron.
Fruits and vegetables provide many nutrients that the body needs to maintain a healthy and balanced body. Oranges are incredible to incorporate into our diet because they’re relatively high in the following nutrients:
- Calcium
- Vitamin C
- Potassium
- Folates
- Citric acid and citrate
- Fiber
If you’re a fan of oranges, keep on choosing this fruit. It can provide your body with many incredible benefits and nutrients, keeping your health on track.
Eat Them Raw Or Juice Them
Oranges are well-known and popular because they’re nutritious, delicious, and sweet.
This fruit has also become a staple for breakfast in many countries. Juicing, similarly, has terrific benefits for your health, and it occurs when you squeeze all of the juice out of the fruit you’re eating.
You can receive all of the nutrients that oranges provide by juicing them or eating them raw. The way you eat your oranges is up to you and your taste preferences.
Juicing oranges will provide you with the following:
- The body can digest the orange’s nutrients easier.
- The body can receive more significant amounts of nutrients.
- Juicing can allow you to consume large quantities of fruit.
- High doses of natural sugar.
- Low amounts of fiber.
Eating oranges raw is a great option, too. Raw oranges can provide you with the following benefits:
- High amounts of fiber.
- Oranges help your body with digestion.
- Your stomach will feel relaxed.
- Oranges alkalize the body before digestion occurs.
- Raw oranges can lower your blood sugar.
Final Thoughts
Oranges are a healthy fruit that can provide you with health benefits, regardless of how you choose to eat them. This fruit has seeds and grows from the flower of an orange tree while also having a fleshy core.
Oranges are famous everywhere and grow abundantly through the seasons. There are many types of oranges that you can enjoy, and they all provide the incredible benefits of vitamins, minerals, and even fiber.
If you love oranges and can incorporate them into your diet daily, it’s encouraged to do so. This fruit is tangy, tasteful, and a terrific favorite for many.
