harvesting orange blossom, the white gold of the country

For the past few days, the harvesters have been at work under the Tunisian sun in Takelsa (Tunisia). Sour orange trees or bitter orange trees are in bloom. The harvest will last a month. The orange blossom must be picked delicately, when it is still in bud. A ritual that the villagers master perfectly. They work here every year. “I take them one by one, gently, the biggest ones. And I pick them”entrusts one of them, who describes this task as“pleasant”.

Once picked, the flowers tumble to the base of the tree, but should not be crushed against each other. As soon as the net fills up, the pickers do the sorting. Thanks to the climate and the specificity of the soil, the Tunisian orange blossom is renowned throughout the world and is used in cooking recipes or as a perfume. In his laboratory, the master perfumer Dominique Ropion favors this Tunisian orange blossom for his creations intended for luxury brands.