What is Jaffa Orange?

Shamouti Orange

The Jaffa or Shamouti orange, is a sweet, almost seedless orange variety with a tough skin that makes it particularly suitable for export.

The variety was developed by Palestinian farmers in the mid-19th century, and takes its name from the city of Jaffa where it was first produced for export.

Jaffa Orange myfavouritepastime.com — By Hmbr at he.wikipedia [CC BY 2.5, GFDL () or CC-BY-SA-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

They are imported from Israel, are similar to Valencia oranges, but have a much sweeter flavour. More than half the annual crop produced, is exported, and Israel is also a major exporter of other citrus fruits to the European Union.

Of late, however, the cultivation of Jaffa oranges in Israel has declined and some of the exported ‘Jaffas’ now come from Spain, South Africa or even South America and may be found selling outside the season for real Jaffa oranges imported from Israel.