Naranja agria

Naranja agria, the sour or Seville orange, is a bitter citrus whose juice is the essential acid of Yucatecan cooking, used to marinate pork for cochinita pibil and to make xnipec and pickled onions.

Description

Larousse identifies naranja agria as Citrus aurantium, a fruit a little smaller than the sweet orange with rough skin, many seeds and little juice, often used while still green. It is native to southern China and reached the Americas in the sixteenth century. It is also called naranja de cucho, naranja de cochi in Chiapas and naranja cucha in the Huasteca potosina.

Use

Its juice is prized in the southeast, the Yucatán Peninsula, Tabasco, Chiapas and the Huastecas for marinating pork, venison or armadillo, since it flavors and softens the meat and removes strong odors, and it is used in fish stews and drinks. It is the main acid in the achiote marinade of cochinita pibil and in the habanero salsa and pickled red onions served with it. Recipes commonly substitute a mix of sweet orange and lime juice where it is unavailable.

Reviews

See also

• Achiote
• Xnipec
• Salsa de habanero
• Cebollas encurtidas
• Tacos de cochinita pibil

References

1. "Naranja agria". Larousse Cocina (Diccionario enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
2. "Prepara cochinita pibil desde cero: receta tradicional yucateca". Excélsior. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
3. "Salsa de chile habanero". Larousse Cocina (Diccionario enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana). Retrieved 2026-10-10.