The Christmas tradition of citrus fruits
Vine and citrus fruit are inextricably linked with our Christmas. The former, as much for its suitability to all those cakes, mince pies and puddings as that the seasons dried grapes would be just appearing on our shores. The latter, because the European citrus harvest would be kicking off and, individually self-wrapped, they’re perfect for Christmas.
These days, we take twelve months of the year citrus fruit as a gimme but for us Baby Boomers, back in the sixties, a tangerine in our Christmas stocking was a real treat. In the slightly more distant Victorian past, an orange was the most prized Christmas gift of all so imagine what it must have been like when the first sweet oranges from the fledgling European citrus harvest started appearing from Portugal in the seventeenth century. They certainly wouldn’t have needed Nell Gwynn’s many charms to sell them. The citrus family of fruits, all originating in South East Asia, must have bought a bit of zest and zip to what I imagine was a fairly stodgy fare so any way of extending the season by preserving them would have been a godsend. Bitter, Seville oranges rocked up first, and marmalade and candied peel were becoming well established by the end of the seventeenth century, along with all manner of oils and essences, but they weren’t for eating ‘out of the hand’ as we expect of our fruit today. Sweet oranges started appearing from Portugal around the time of Charles II’s restoration (hence Nell Gwynn) but they were stratospherically expensive and didn’t really start becoming commonplace (even among the well-to-do) until about 1800. They were still a sign of opulence and the aspirational and well-to-do found a host of ways of using and impressing.
The nineteenth century bought about the creation of many of what we see as the classics of the traditional British culinary repertoire and oranges, both bitter and sweet, make appearances in many of them – helped by the blurred line between savoury and sweet. The Middle East and North Africa weren’t the only ones who mixed things up a bit when it came to meat and fruit. Cumberland sauce, made using Seville oranges, redcurrant, port and a good spoonful of mustard, was a classic example.
Considered by many to be the finest accompaniment to cold meats (particularly ham), patés and pies, Elizabeth David trawled up this recipe from 1853; ‘Cut the rind, free from pith, of two Seville oranges into very thin strips half an inch (1cm) in length, which blanch in boiling water, drain them upon a sieve and put them into a basin, with a spoonful of mixed English mustard, four of currant jelly, a little pepper, salt (mix well together) and half a pint (300ml) of good port wine.’ Not that different from what can be found now. Cold cuts mean Boxing Day lunch and you can make it little more seasonally appropriate by stirring in leftover cranberry sauce. Traditionally, Cumberland sauce, with all the added Port and orange and lemon juice, is a fairly wet sauce but most bought versions, like Tracklements, have added pectin to thicken them up a bit. Provided they are properly made, from the right ingredients, both can be equally delicious. Like so many classics, Cumberland sauce seems to have gone out of fashion. I used to keep a jar and add a spoonful to the gravy pan every time we had a roast but I don’t think it’s graced my larder for ten years or more. It’s long due a revival and Boxing Day lunch is a good place to start – or Christmas Day if you’re vegetarian because I can’t think of a better pairing for a nut roast.