Bergamot orange
Citrus bergamia, commonly known as the bergamot orange, is a fragrant citrus fruit the size of an orange, with a yellow or green colour similar to a lime, depending on ripeness.
Genetic research into the ancestral origins of extant citrus cultivars found bergamot orange to be a probable hybrid of lemon and bitter orange. Extracts have been used as an aromatic ingredient in food, tea, snus, perfumes, and cosmetics. Use on the skin can increase photosensitivity, resulting in greater damage from sun exposure.
Etymology
The word bergamot is derived from the Italian word bergamotto, derived either from the Italian town of Bergamo or Ottoman Turkish beg armudu.Description
Citrus bergamia is a small tree that blossoms during the winter. The juice tastes less sour than lemon, but more bitter than grapefruit.Phytochemicals
Bergamot fruit or oil contains flavonoids, such as neoeriocitrin, naringin, neohesperidin, melitidin, brutieridin, and bergamottin. Bergamot leaves contain different indole alkaloids, such as N,N,N-trimethyltryptamine.Taxonomy
The bergamot orange is unrelated to the herbs known as bergamot, wild bergamot, bergamot mint, or bergamint – Monarda didyma, M. fistulosa, and Eau de Cologne mint. Those are all in the mint family, and are named for their similar aroma.The C. bergamia is frequently misidentified as another citrus, C. hystrix (kaffir lime), due to the latter occasionally going by the name "Thai Bergamot". Citrus bergamia has also been classified as C. aurantium subsp. bergamia. C. bergamia is sometimes confused with C. medica, and with C. limetta, the "sweet lemon" or "sweet lime".
Production
The bergamot is a citrus fruit grown mostly in Mediterannean areas. Production is on large scale in the Ionian Sea coastal areas of the province of Reggio di Calabria in Italy, to such an extent that it is a symbol of the entire city. Most of the bergamot production of Italy is at this short stretch of coastal land, where the climate is favorable. There are three different cultivars of bergamot fruits that are traditionally grown, namely Feminello, Fantastico and Castagnaro.Bergamot is also grown in southern France and the Ivory Coast for the essential oil, and in Antalya in southern Turkey for its marmalade. The fruit is not generally grown for juice consumption. However, in Mauritius where it is grown on a small-scale basis, it is consumed as juice by the locals. The fruit is also cultivated in Argentina, Brazil, North Africa, Iran and Greece.
File:Bergamot - Sour Orange - Waddell, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA - January 2013.jpg|thumb|upright|Maricopa County, Arizona|alt=Tree, Maricopa County, ArizonaOne hundred bergamot oranges yield about of bergamot oil.
Adulteration with cheaper products such as oil of rosewood and bergamot mint has been a problem for consumers. To protect the reputation of their produce, the Italian government introduced tight controls, including testing and certificates of purity. The Stazione Sperimentale per le Industrie delle Essenze e dei Derivati dagli Agrumi located in Reggio di Calabria, is the quality control body for the essential oil Bergamotto di Reggio Calabria DOP.
During World War II, Italy was unable to export to countries such as the Allies of [World War II|Allied powers]. Rival products from Brazil and Mexico came onto the market as a substitute, but these were produced from other citrus fruits such as sweet lime.