Aromatic, fresh and revitalizing
No type of orange is better suited to the production of delicious scented oils than the bitter orange, also known as bitter orange. Although most people find the fruit too bitter to eat, wonderful flavors are extracted from the flowers of the bitter orange. While the neroli and absolute fragrance oils come from the orange blossom, essential oils are also extracted from the peel of the fruit. The bitter orange originally came from India and was brought to Florida by the Spanish. The US state has developed into one of the largest growers of orange trees in the world. During the flowering season, millions of small flowers bloom in Central and South Florida and are wonderful to look at.
In Europe, orange blossom and the perfume derived from it became a fashionable phenomenon as early as 1680. The Duchess Flavia Orsini, Princess of Nerola, loved this fragrance and perfumed herself and her rooms excessively with it. She infected other nobles with her orange blossom fever, spreading the scent of orange blossom. The Nerola flower owes its name to this duchess. In ancient China, orange blossom was also regarded as a symbol of innocence, morality and purity, as well as fertility. In many different countries, it was traditional to wear flower arrangements made of orange blossoms at weddings. Orange blossom hair accessories are particularly popular with bridesmaids.