History of oranges in Korea may be bit too tangy for locals

A fruit salesman in the early twentieth century. Robert Neff Collection

By Robert Neff

In 1877, a Japanese merchant in Fusan (now part of Busan) reported Koreans greatly valued oranges and used them in their medicine as well as for special treats. With Koreans, he declared, "orange peel and ginseng take the place of tea with us [Japanese] and coffee amongst foreigners."

He went on to add that as the country was not able to grow them, Koreans were forced to import great quantities from Japan. In fact, early trade reports give some credence to his claims. In November 1876, almost 33,400 oranges were imported into Fusan from Japan. The following month, another 11,080 were imported as well as 100 catties (1 catty equals 600 grams) of dried orange peel.

By 1883, oranges were readily sold in the markets of Seoul. Percival Lowell, who was not exactly impressed with Korean fruit, described the wares of a Korean fruit and nut merchant:

"Oranges, dried persimmons, pears that look like russet apples and are as hard and tasteless as potatoes, chestnuts, walnuts, and pinenuts are among the commonest kinds offered for sale. The most interesting point about the stands is the systematic way in which the fruits are arranged. Each of these, according to its kind, is gathered into little heaps. So symmetrical are the heaps that my curiosity was at once piqued into counting them; and on doing so, I discovered that each heap contained exactly the same number of units as its fellows of the same kind of fruit. Three chestnuts went invariably to a pile, seven walnuts to another, and so on, the nuts increasing in number as they decreased in size. Each pile was for sale for half a farthing. There was something almost pathetic in the thought of the anxious labor that had so carefully arranged beforehand these little heaps, destined for so long to court a customer in vain."

It isn't clear if the oranges Lowell saw on sale were Korean or Japanese imports. In the early 1890s, one missionary's wife gushed in a letter home: "I am making orange marmalade; we can get nice oranges from Japan and they cost very little." She was a little vexed to discover her houseboy had taken great efforts to wash the outside of the oranges ― something she found to be ridiculous.

Her appreciation for oranges never seemed to wane but perhaps the novelty did; a couple of years later she wrote: "The Japanese oranges are ever so nice and we have them all the time; they only cost 7 sen or 8½ cents (gold) per pound, but I wouldn't give the good apples at home for all the oranges."

Korean tangerines from Jeju island / gettyimagesbank

Oranges were especially popular as gifts. In the 1890s, Westerners living in Seoul often received baskets of oranges from Japanese and Chinese grocers as gifts ― especially around Christmas and the New Year. They were frequently served at tea parties and dinners and were also used to decorate cakes and to make marmalades.

As noted above, not all citruses in Korea were imported from Japan and China. The Korean court often received tangerines from Jeju Island. It isn't clear when tangerines were introduced to the island, but there are references to them dating back to the Three Kingdoms. These fruits were highly valued and relatively rare for the common people.

When Charles Chaille-Long, a member of the American legation in Seoul, traveled to Jeju in 1888, he was impressed with the island's oranges and limes, but not with the constant noise and attention he received from the Jeju residents:

"Immediately to the south [of his lodgings] there is a large orange and lime grove from which a delightful and refreshing aroma is exhaled, which touches our olfactories now and again, rendering the noisome air which surrounds our habitation all the more vexatious and insupportable."

In 1895, The Korean Repository (a monthly English-language magazine published in Seoul) reported:

"The island of Quelpart [Jeju] is said to produce no less than five varieties of oranges ranging from the size of a walnut to that of fine pomenoes [pomelo?]. One variety is called the bottle orange from its fancied resemblance to the gourd-bottle."

A few years later, The Independent (an English-language newspaper published in Seoul) reported that for years it had been the custom of the people of Jeju to pay their taxes with nothing more than a few boxes of oranges and about two hundred ponies to the government as annual tribute, but with the new reforms the people would be required to pay normal taxes. Apparently the residents of Jeju were unhappy with the changes as evidenced by the unrest in March 1898.

Korean hallabongs from Jeju island / gettyimagesbank

In 1911, a new type of mandarin tangerine (known in Korea as onju) was introduced to the island by a French Catholic priest named Esmile J. Taquet, who planted 15 of these trees he acquired in Japan. The trees flourished ― one of the trees is still said to bear fruit ― and this type of tangerine is now the most common on the island.

Over the years, oranges and tangerines have come to be associated with luxury in Korea ― something out of reach of the common people. Even up until the 1980s, oranges were considered a special treat.

However, not all oranges ― especially imported ones ― were welcomed. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the term "orange generation" was used to describe a privileged Korean younger generation who ― through their parents' wealth ― were able to travel and study in the United States (Orange County, California), buy trendy clothing, drive sports cars and freely spend money as if it wasn't theirs (it wasn't ― it was their parents').

Another facet to the "orange generation" was sexuality. Girls gave oranges to boys as an indication they found them sexually attractive. This openness was blamed on the influence of American culture.

The Korean public's disapproval of the perceived decadence of the orange generation culminated when a 23-year-old university student murdered his parents over gambling debts he accrued in the United States. Orange generation, once a term of status, became a term of derision.

From their origin to the latest of their renditions, the history of oranges may be a bit too tangy for locals to swallow.

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books including, Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.