Oranges

Orange trees are far more expensive to maintain than corn due to the inability to use spindles. As a result, very few dedicated orange orchards exist. Most wealthier households have a few orange trees in their gardens for personal use. Typical candy is made the traditional (mundane) way by boiling the orange and then soaking it in syrup. Crystal orange, whole oranges preserved in a alchemically super-saturated syrup, is a more expensive alternative. The latter is generally considered more for show than actual taste (the sheer sweetness generally overwhelms any potential for the actual fruit's flavor to shine through), though some prefer its more fragile texture. It's considered a sign of being new money to actually eat crystal oranges instead of using them as a garnish or decoration.
A certain piece of literature popularized this notion even further. It featured a character left a large sum of undeserved money, often depicted eating crystal orange by the bag. Especially around the northeast (relatively close to The Molten Desert), oranges can often be grown year-round.

The Brandy Curse

Orange brandy is actually considered sacrilege by the Eideli religion and legal system- all records dating back to the origins of the civilization mention this. It's rather unclear as to why this is the case, and the law is the subject of many jokes; yet for whatever reason, attempts to create it end in misfortune. Orange wine technically isn't affected by this, but the threshold to it being considered brandy production is incredibly unclear, so the entire thing falls under cultural taboo. (Yes, this is in fact the world's most petty Celestial Edict at work. Much like the Wastelander Curse was a product of spite, the Orange Curse was one of frustration.)

Item type

Consumable, Food / Drink