Fennel and Oranges

There are some flavors that pair so perfectly together, like tomatoes and basil, that it’s amazing to me that the plants didn’t evolve in the same plot of land. Tomatoes originated in the high Andes and were cultivated by the Incas and Aztecs by 700 ad. They didn’t reach Italy for centuries. And while we also associate basil with the Mediterranean, particularly Italy, it is native to India. It is assumed that it arrived with navigators of the spice trade in the fifteenth century, like oranges, whose origins are obscured in history. Fennel is native to the Mediterranean basin, and I think it is a natural with oranges. Though no one has yet pinpointed the first combination of fennel and oranges as a salad, it is likely that it emerged in Sicily after the Arab invasions. You see fennel and orange dishes all over Italy now, especially during the winter months when both are available throughout the country.