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Rub the skin of bitter oranges lightly with a fine grater to remove some of the oil and its bitterness. Section the skin carefully into six parts and remove it from the orange with a sharp knife. Thread the peel sections with a needle onto a heavy thread so that they may be handled easily during the candying process. Boil the peel gently in water until soft. Drain. Soak in cold water for five days, changing the water morning and evening.

Boil the orange peel in a thick syrup made of equal parts of sugar and water for half an hour. Add several drops of lemon juice. Some of the peel may be removed from the syrup at this point and rolled in granulated sugar to be served as candy. The rest may be preserved in its syrup in sealed glass jars.


(From Food from the Arab World Marie Karam Khayat and Margaret Clark Keatinge, Khayat's, Beirut 1959)