How about I start by saying: “Not all seville oranges come from Seville.”

Those oranges (looks just like the ordinary orange) have darker orange color and bitter taste.  And oranges are believed to start from today’s China. I guess naming those oranges as though they are native to Seville is one of those mistakes British made when naming “things” — remember how the animal turkey is named after the country?

On the Mediterranean coastal cities of Turkey it is common to see seville oranges growing on the street. Nobody disturbs them as they are quite bitter in taste and not so many people know how to use them in cooking. Its juice could be used for chicken marinade, or as a salad dressing when lemon is scarce.

This jam is made out of its skin. Can also be made from grapefruit, oranges or any other citrus for that matter as long as it has a thick skin. This recipe brings back childhood memories — how we used to get together to grate the zest of the seville oranges and a few days later to roll them and pin them through a thick thread, before they meet sugar. For me and my family this whole citrus familia carries special importance; turns out it was my mom’s grandpa who bought some cirus plants from Haifa (in today’s Israel) and Latakia (in today’s Syria) and started his citrus gardens. Then it took off and many families in Turkish Mediterranean coast started earning their living this way.

Have you ever thought about starting your own orange/lemon tree? All you have to do is to push your lemon/orange/grapefruit seed into a pot full of good dirt and wait for it to germinate in a week or two. Later, when you see its bright leaves, you can rub your fingers and get the same smell as a grown citrus tree’s leaf would give. Sure enough when that seedling grows it will not be a fruit bearing lemon tree. In fact, rumor is that whatever citrus seed you used to start your plant it does not matter — you are going to get a seville orange tree. That is until you graft it with a known citrus type. See, that’s how they make all those coctail citrus trees. I have 5 of them growing happily for about a year now and they are all about 12inches high. I have plans for them; learning how to graft is one. :)
Ok, enough of this citrus info and now the recipe for this delicious seville orange jam:
Ingredients:

1. 10 seville oranges
2. 2 lb sugar
3. 1/2 lemon’s juice

Recipe:

1. Grate off the seville oranges’ rind
2. Cut the top and the bottom, and peel the orange into 8 slices (just the peels, not the orange itself)
3. Put the peels in boiling water, and boil until soft
4. Remove to cold water
5. Change its water two times a day for 3 - 4 days until the bitterness runs out
6. Roll each slice into a spiral and pin them through a thick thread using quilting needles (you can cut them in small pieces, too but it does not look as good that way)
7. Put the strings of rolled slices into a pot, and pour sugar over and water to cover
8. Cook until the syrup is thick enough and add lemon juice, cook 5 more minutes
9. Divide into jars and enjoy!

There is no recipe this time, but would like to introduce you one of my favourite authors, Tijen Inaltong, in Turkey who recently started her blog in English where she will be sharing food, customs (mostly related to food), her travels and I am am sure many other experiences.  She chose the perfect name for her blog: ”Zen in the Kitchen” which is also the name of her first book in Turkish.

I started buying her books about 2 years ago, and remember reading them on the plane ride coming back from Turkey and enjoying very much in every detail she has put in explaining the wild greens that are found in Mediterranean region as well as the rest of Turkey in her “The Tale of Wild Greens” book.  The “Stories from a Fruit Tree” is another book of hers to which I consult nearly for every fruit that we buy to see if she has to offer a recipe that I have never heard of.  In the wild greens book she was using some of the Creatian names for the wild herbs/greens, this made me feel close to her (because of my heritage.)  Since then I tried many of her recipes (all are vegetarian, by the way) and shared the Mustard Green Risotto on this blog as well.

I remember writing her an email after I reached US and asking her if she knows that guy who has the same last name as hers,  and was a friend of mine in my college years.  The common last name is a very unique one, so it was a safe assumption that they knew each other.  She immediately wrote me back saying he is her beloved brother!  Well, I found yet another reason to feel close to her.

Still has not had a chance to meet her in person, but now I have all her books (but one, see below)– thanks to her sending me 2 more as a wedding present to complete my series.  I sometimes feel like those are the kind of books one wants to keep by her bedside table to enjoy reading, and another one in the kitchen to consult her recipes. Then I remember my husband counting the number of books I have and the unopened book boxes in the garage and I hold myself from another valuable purchase.

Recently she published another book, “A Meal for Each Day” in which she shares a recipe for each day (366 total, including Feb 29th!) This is the only book I still have not had a chance to see as it was published after I left Turkey this December.  In this book she also honored me by including some recipes and pictures that are included in this blog!!!

I hope one day her books are translated into other languages for non-Turkish speaking audience to enjoy.   For the time being, I strongly suggest you follow her at Zen in the Kitchen!