Curacao is a liqueur flavored with the dried peel of laraha, a bitter orange grown on the Caribbean island of Curacao, and is produced in several forms, most familiarly an orange hued dry style and a bright blue style. Laraha developed from the Seville orange, introduced to the island by Spanish explorers in 1527, and although its flesh is unpalatable, its aromatic peel became the basis of the liqueur. The exact origins of the drink are unclear, though the Bols company credits Lucas Bols, who lived from 1652 to 1719, with developing a laraha based liqueur after extracting aromatic oil from the unripe peel, with the drink said to have been introduced around the eighteenth century. Senior and Co, founded on Curacao in 1896, remains the only producer still using native laraha fruit, marketing its product as Genuine Curacao Liqueur.
Facts
Open Questions
Origin Period, From (Year)Wikipedia's infobox states Introduced c. 18th century, while the article's own text says the exact origins of the drink are unclear; 1701 marks the century's first year, not a confirmed exact date. Origin Period, To (Year)Wikipedia's infobox states Introduced c. 18th century, while the article's own text says the exact origins of the drink are unclear; 1800 marks the century's last year, not a confirmed exact date. Partially Attested
Origin RegionThe article states only where the laraha peel fruit is grown, the Caribbean island of Curaçao; it does not state where the liqueur was first made. Connections
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Curacao, originated there.
Sources
1. Curaçao (liqueur) (Wikipedia)
Introduction, first sentence
is a liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the bitter orange variety laraha, a citrus fruit grown on the Caribbean island of Curaçao.
Infobox, Introduced field
Introduced c. 18th century
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