Orange Peel & Aromatics

Orange peel is the fragrant outer layer of the fruit, packed with essential oils that carry a more concentrated, more complex orange flavour than the juice alone. The thin outermost layer (the zest) is the most prized in cooking, adding bright citrus punch to cakes, biscuits, sauces, and salads without any of the bitterness found in the white pith beneath.

In Australian kitchens, orange peel appears as finely grated zest, as strips in marmalade, as candied peel in Christmas cakes and panforte, and as dried peel in spice blends and teas. It’s also used in cocktails — a twist of orange peel over an old fashioned or a negroni releases aromatic oils across the surface of the drink.

Dried orange peel is sold as a spice and is common in Chinese five-spice blends, North African tagines, and herbal tea infusions. It keeps well and intensifies in flavour as it dries.