| Citrus originate from South-East Asia (China, North-East India, Malaysia, Oceania). From this area, the distribution is carried out to the East of India, the Malay Archipelago and South China. Citrus are reputed to have been cultivated in the East as of the fourth millennium. They have always been prized for their decorative qualities, their perfumes, their medicinal virtues and their taste. Their dissemination in Asia took place in the Middle Ages, while in the West, it was slow and selective. Citrus have become the most cultivated fruits in the world, within two stages: first, mastery of sugar and distillery techniques by Andalusian Arabs in the Middle Ages (candied citrus, orange blossom water), who disseminated these techniques in the West. The second stage concerned the systematic use of vitamin C, in the U.S.A during the 1920s, disseminated in the new world; first in Florida (morning orange juice). |
Distribtion towards the American continent came after the second voyage of Christopher Columbus.
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