Chinotto (fruit)

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Chinotto fruits
Chinotto tree

In the Chinotto variety group , some varieties of bitter orange ( Citrus × aurantium , Syn. Citrus aurantium var. Myrtifolia , Citrus myrtifolia ) are combined. The juice is added to many digestifs in Italy and is also contained in Campari . There is also a soft drink on the market under the name Chinotto , which is mainly made from the juice of the fruit. The dark color and the bitter-sweet taste are characteristic. A similar drink is common in Malta under the name Kinnie . In Switzerland, a lemonade flavored with Chinotto is offered as Gazosa al Chinotto and under other brand names.

The Chinotto varieties form small, slow-growing shrubs. The leaves sit at very short intervals on unarmed branches. They are small, dark green and narrow with a long tip. The orange fruits are also smaller than other bitter oranges. The number of seeds per fruit is very variable.

The origin is regarded as a mutation of the bitter orange, it is said to have come from China to the Mediterranean region in the 17th century. The name (Italian chinotto , French chinois ) refers to this origin.

Hodgson names four different varieties:

  • 'Boxwood Leaf Chinotto' ('Chinois à Feuilles de Buis') - leaves not pointed, but rounded, shrub less dwarfed
  • 'Crispifolia' - relatively large, leaves wavy
  • 'Large Chinotto' - relatively large, pointed leaves, rich harvest
  • 'Dwarf Chinotto' - very small shrubs, richly flowering, different bearing sizes

supporting documents

The information in this article comes from:

  • Robert Willard Hodgson: Horticultural Varieties of Citrus . In: Walter Reuther, Herbert John Webber, Leon Dexter Batchelor (eds.): The Citrus Industry . 1967 ( ucr.edu [accessed May 20, 2008]).
  • Walter T. Swingle: The Botany of Citrus and Its Wild Relatives . In: Walter Reuther, Herbert John Webber, Leon Dexter Batchelor (eds.): The Citrus Industry . 1967 ( ucr.edu [accessed May 20, 2008]).

Web links

Commons : Citrus 'Myrtifolia'  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Georges Desrues: A bitter lemonade, please . In: WamS . October 14, 2012.

Individual evidence

  1. Gazosa AG website , accessed on October 1, 2017.