{"id":8260,"date":"2020-11-04T00:00:24","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T22:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/old.carrementbelle.com\/blog\/?p=8260"},"modified":"2023-03-28T09:43:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T08:43:23","slug":"orange-blossom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carrementbelle.com\/blog\/en\/2020\/11\/04\/orange-blossom\/","title":{"rendered":"The orange blossom, adored and perfumed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Orange blossom is a fragrant ingredient that has been appreciated by all for centuries. Its scent, sometimes fresh and sour, is also sweet and smooth. It brings back memories of pastries of yesteryear and tickles our noses with its mysterious and emblematic fragrance. Discover the origin of orange blossom and the bitter orange tree, one of the perfumers’ favorite plant!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The origins of orange blossom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A little lesson in botany: the bitter orange tree<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The orange blossom is the white flower of the bitter orange tree. Cousin to the sweet orange<\/a> and lemon<\/a> trees, this plant, also known as the wild orange tree, has been growing for centuries in sun-drenched lands. It can be found all around the Mediterranean Sea, from Italy to Spain, Morocco and Tunisia. When spring arrives, the branches of the tree are adorned with delicate and very fragrant white flowers, which then produce a small fruit called a bitter orange. The bitter orange tree has an important place in the world of perfume, as it is one of the few plants that can be used to obtain different types of essences and scented products. From the flower to the leaf, the branches and the fruit, each part of the tree will deliver a nuance and therefore a particular fragrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The appearance of a mythical flower<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Native to India and China, the bitter orange tree is also called the Seville orange tree (Citrus aurantium<\/em>) in reference to its Arab-Andalusian origin. Indeed, the craze for the orange blossom in Arabia spread throughout the Islamic empire, reaching Spain in the 9th century. But it was not until the 11th century that it spread to Europe where it was first introduced into Sicily and then Provence by the Crusaders. In mythology the orange tree symbolizes paradise and love. Its white fragrant flowers evoke purity and its fruit embodies fertility. Today, the orange blossom is still very popular, especially in aromatherapy. Its essence has many virtues, such as its soothing, sedative and antidepressant properties. Its uses are very varied, and it is unanimously recognized for its ability to calm anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orange blossom: a royal perfume<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The essence of the orange tree enjoyed great success in the 17th century thanks to a certain Anne-Marie Orsini, wife of Flavio Orsini, Prince of Nerola and Duke of Bracciano, who gave its name to the essence of Neroli in homage to the town of Nerola near Rome. This diplomat of the Spanish court and contemporary of Louis XIV perfumed her gloves<\/a> as well as her bath water with orange essence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sun King’s guilty pleasure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now a fashionable scent, orange blossom is spreading throughout the French Court. It rivals the subtlety of jasmine<\/a> and supplants amber<\/a> and musk<\/a>. In his memoirs, Saint Simon recounts Louis XIV’s taste for orange blossom. Indeed, he was passionate about perfumes from a very young age and then suffered from severe headaches. Only the sweet and soothing scent of orange blossom would have been bearable for him. It is known that he used to add it to his drinks. But it is in the inventory of the royal furniture that we find proof of its appeal, with solid silver syringes that were used to sprinkle the liquid in the king’s flats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highly concentrated fragrances or fragrances composed of high doses of musk or civet<\/a> were no longer tolerated by the king, so heady perfumes were banned at Versailles. This is what greatly benefited orange blossom. It will impose itself both in the scents and in the decoration, from the Orangery of the castle to the Hall of Mirrors, decorated with solid silver basins containing bitter oranges. At the time, orange blossom water was certainly made on site at Versailles, in the perfume cabinet intended for the collection of rare essences from the flowers of the Trianon gardens. It was probably there that the stills delivered the precious perfume from the shrubs of the Orangery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The use of orange blossom in perfumery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The bitter orange tree and its derivatives are flagship ingredients in perfumery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n