The raspberry orange is the latest hybrid citrus in town—or is it?
This Is Why ‘Raspberry Oranges’ Just Popped Up in Grocery Stores Everywhere
Published on Jan. 27, 2025
Dare I say it? Citrus usually bores me. I add lemon zest or a squeeze of lime to a dish for flavor, but if I’m going to reach for a piece of fruit, I want something with more intrigue. If you made me pick a side in the Fruit Wars (a very real thing in my head), then I would be #TeamBerries all the way. Now, imagine my surprise when I saw that berries have aligned with their citrus brethren!
There’s a new hybrid in town: the raspberry orange.
What are raspberry oranges?
From the outside, raspberry oranges look like normal oranges. But once you cut them open, you’ll find that the fruit is deep red. Unlike sumo citrus, though, there’s nothing new happening here. “Raspberry oranges” are simply a different name for an old classic: the blood orange.
Gasp!
The reason for the name change is that, well, people don’t really want to eat something that has “blood” in the name. Kings River Packing, a citrus producer in California, changed the name to focus on the flavor of the fruit rather than the color. It was a bold move, and a good one: a rep from Kings River said that blood orange sales increased after the rebranding. I guess Shakespeare is wrong, and sometimes an orange by any other name really is more sweet.
Hybrid and uniquely flavored fruit options have been around for a long time. Tangelos, a sweet combination of grapefruit and tangerine, were created in the 1930s. I know it seems like cotton candy grapes were developed by a child who was crowned king of a vineyard for exactly one day, but we have Dr. David Cain to thank for that scientific breakthrough more than 20 years ago.
When is raspberry orange season?
If you do not feel betrayed by the lies exposed in this article, then I have good news: The oranges formerly known as blood oranges are in season now and will be through June. As with any fun citrus fruit, they usually go quickly when a new shipment gets delivered. It’s time to bookmark some winter salad recipes and head to the store!
