Tarocco oranges are one of three varieties of “blood” or “red” oranges – although they have only a small amount of pink flesh. They are medium in size, seedless, sweet and very juicy – and crucially they contain more Vitamin C than any other orange variety in the world.
It is very difficult to get these high quality oranges outside Italy. However, throughout Puglia, practically every market has a stall which sells nothing but ultra fresh local oranges during the winter and spring. Until Christmas these tend to be Clementines, but later on they are almost entirely Navel and Tarocco varieties.
Although Tarocco oranges are especially associated with the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, the ones in Puglia come from around Palagiano, a small town in the west of Puglia, near Massafra. Palagiano is famous for its oranges, and even has a DOP protected status for its Clementines. The combination of microclimate, traditional methods of cultivation in small units, freedom from chemical fertiliers etc all combone to make this part of Puglia a major centre for the production of citrus fruits.
