Orange Peel

Dried orange peel is the peel of ripe sweet oranges, gently dried so the natural oils stay in the rind. It smells strongly of citrus, and the taste is sweet and tangy with a slightly bitter edge from the pith behind it.

Sold as dried orange peel, sweet orange peel or orange rind, the pieces are thin, firm and fragrant, with the aromatic oils concentrated in the outer skin. That is why even one strip perfumes a pot of tea, a sugar syrup or a slow braise. The colour is a deep golden orange, and the scent is bright and sweet before the gentle bitterness comes through. It is a familiar ingredient in baking, mulled drinks, marmalade-style preserves and many traditional spice and potpourri blends.

How to use it

Grate or grind it into cookies, cakes, muffins and confections for a bold citrus lift, or steep strips in hot and iced teas, mulled wine and mixed drinks. In savoury cooking it goes into rubs, sauces and glazes for poultry, lamb and seafood, and into spice blends. It is also a common part of tea blends and natural fragrance preparations. Warm the pieces briefly in a dry pan before grinding; the oils come forward and the bitterness settles back.

Details

Also known as

Orange Peel, Sweet Orange Peel, Orange Rind, Orange Zest, Citrus Peel, Dried Citrus Skin
Arabic: قشر البرتقال
Hindi: संतरे का छिलका (Santra Chilka)
Chinese: 橙皮 (Chéngpí)
French: Écorce d'Orange Douce
Spanish: Cáscara de Naranja
Turkish: Portakal Kabuğu
Dari: پوست پرتقال