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THE ORANGE AND SÓLLER

The orange fruit comes from Indoxina even though it grows in temperate countries that do not surpass the 40º degrees of latitude and in places below 400 meters above the sea , moreover the orange trees do not bear the cold north winds nor the frosts , the very best temperature so that the tree grows and gives fruits abundantly is between 10 and 14 degrees. And there is a place in the Balearic Island that fulfils all these requirements , this place is called Valley of Sóller or “Valley of the orange trees”, that is the way the rest of inhabitants of the island of Mallorca know it.

As a matter of fact , already many years ago, the inhabitants of this lovely valley surrounded by mountains noticed that it was a land of orange trees. There is a report in the year 1370 about the robbery of a lemon tree and as a matter of fact the orange tree is already documented as a tree common to our valley . In the 15th century the crop of an orange tree orchard was ordered to sell to pay a debt , in the 16th century the orange tree orchards were very mentioned on the land’s purchases and sales documents.

But it was not until the 19th century that the crop of orange tree became the real engine of the economy of our valley to such degree that a commercial fleet was built to transport the golden fruit. The framework of distribution and sale that created the orange of Sóller especially in the Iberian Peninsula and in the south of Europe still lasts nowadays.

But in its nest , in the valley of the orange trees, these are in decadence and decline in spite of being recognized by everybody.

Because of that, an important number of producers and restaurateurs together with both town councils have joined to retrieve the profitability of this so emblematic fruit for the villages of Fornalutx and Sóller. For this reason we invite you to taste the meals prepared by our cook teachers at the fair that will take place on the third Saturday of may and also we invite you the whole year to come and enjoy the aroma of the orange tree flower, of the beauty of the trees , of the relaxed walks trough hidden paths of our valley or the delicious elaborations made by our restaurateurs with this so prized fruit.

Congratulations and be welcome.

Miquel Gual Pons
Regidor d’Agricultura, Pesca i Promoció Econòmica.

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