Laraha facts for kids

The Laraha (say "lah-RAH-hah") is a special type of orange tree and its fruit. It grows only on the sunny island of Curaçao in the Caribbean Sea. Even though it's related to the regular orange, the Laraha fruit is very bitter and has lots of tough fibers. This means you can't really eat it fresh!

What is the Laraha Orange?

The Laraha is a unique citrus fruit. Its scientific name is Citrus × aurantium subsp. currassuviencis. People also sometimes call it the Curaçao orange. The name "Laraha" sounds a lot like the Portuguese word "laranja," which means orange.

A Fruit That's Not for Eating

Unlike the sweet oranges you might enjoy, the Laraha fruit is very bitter. It also has a lot of tough, stringy parts inside. Because of this, the fresh fruit is not considered good to eat. It's a distant relative of the common bitter orange.

How the Laraha Came to Be

The story of the Laraha begins a long time ago. In 1527, orange trees were brought to Curaçao from Spain. These were "Seville orange" trees, known for their bitter fruit often used in marmalade.

Adapting to a New Home

However, the climate and soil on Curaçao were very different from Spain. The island is quite dry and hot. The Spanish orange trees did not grow well in these new conditions. They were left alone and had to adapt to their new environment. Over many years, the fruit changed. It went from a bright orange color to a green one. This new, adapted fruit became what we now call the Laraha.

From Bitter Fruit to Famous Drink

Even though the fresh Laraha fruit was too bitter to eat, people discovered something amazing about its dried peels. These peels had a wonderful, pleasant smell. Scientists and creators began to experiment with extracts made from these aromatic peels. Their hard work led to the creation of a famous drink: Curaçao liqueur. This sweet, often blue, drink is made using the special flavor of the Laraha's dried peel.