How to Peel an Orange

Orange, one of a handful of words that has no perfect rhyme equivalency is an extraordinary fruit. It has a delicious sweet pulp inside with a thick bitter outer layer of skin. The orange is a hybrid of ancient cultivated origin, possibly between pomelo (Citrus maxima) and mandarin (Citrus reticulata). It is a small flowering tree growing to about 3 m tall with evergreen leaves, which are arranged alternately, of ovate shape with crenellate margins and 4-10 cm long. The orange fruit is a hesperidium, a type of berry.

The most common orange is the Valencia or Murcia orange is one of the sweet oranges used for juice extraction. It is a late-season fruit, and therefore a popular variety when the navel oranges are out of season. For this reason, the orange was chosen to be the official mascot of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Spain. The mascot was called "Naranjito" ("little orange"), and wore the colors of the Spanish football team uniform.

Mindless facts, maybe . . . but I digress. Peeling an orange takes skill and talent. First you must decide what type of orange you want to peel. The larger the orange the more skill required. I would suggest starting out small; perhaps a hybrid like a tangerine or tangelo. You may want to have an Orange Peeling Instructional Party. Leaning a new skill is much more fun when shared with friends.

Step one: Take oranges, tangerines tangelos, etc and place them in a bowl. No need to rinse them because you won't be eating the skin, hence the article title, "How to Peel an Orange."

Step two: Let each person choose their orange. Remember start small and work your way up to the larger varieties.

Step three: Hold orange at arms length to avoid squirting juice.

Step four: Break the skin with your thumb nail; other may prefer to take a small bite (denture wearers use caution) and remove skin from top to bottom. Continue this process. Congratulations, you now have a perfectly peeled orange!

Note of caution: When peeling a larger and/or juicer orange or grapefruit always wear protective goggles to avoid COJEP [Citrus Orange Juice in the Eye Pain].

Little Known Fact: Did you know it's illegal to peel an orange in a hotel room in Los Angeles.

Remember oranges are a healthy source of vitamin C during the winter months. I end this article with a Knock-Knock joke.

Knock-Knock . . . Who's there? . . . Orange . . . Orange who? . . . Orange you glad I wrote this article.

Source(s)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_(fruit)
My Personal Orange Peeling Experience
http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/youcangetarrestedforthat