Bitter oranges come from a different tree from sweet oranges, Citrus aurantium. This tree was cultivated in ancient times as an ornamental tree or to use its fruits in cosmetics, but not for consumption.Its bitter taste is due to the presence in the fruit of an organic compound called neohesperidine. This compound is extracted and used in the food industry as a sweetener, is between 250 and 1800 times sweeter than sucrose, and a more persistent sweet taste, similar to licorice.But, of course, it does not contain the type and amount of sugar that a sweet orange, so its gastronomic use is much lower.The bitter orange tree comes from South Asia, and spread to the Mediterranean, Syria and Palestine by the Arabs. The caliphs of Cordoba, during the ninth and tenth centuries, popularized its use as an ornamental plant, planting it in streets, gardens, courtyards and mosques. It is very common to see it still in areas of Andalusia, such as the famous Patio de los Naranjos de la Mezquita de Córdoba.