Orange: was Etymology of 'tanU'

[S Krishna]

Does anybody have any idea of how and when orange cultivation started in 
what is now Spain? Or for that matter was there any trade between India 
and Spain? 
 I do know that the Moors had some kind of a trade connection in the 
12th century( from what I remember) but is there any evidence of the 
non-existence of orange trees in Spain before that?
 If these fruits were really taken from India to Spain, then how did 
they store them in those days when they had no cold-storage( put them in 
ice-sacks wouldn't have helped since the ice would have melted in the 
hot tropical weather.)Of course, I am not sure if they just took the 
seeds with them.
 If there is any evidence of taking other citrus fruits from India onto 
Spain?
  I find it very difficult to believe that there were no citrus fruits 
in Spain( or that these had to be brought from India). If I am not 
wrong, there are references to such fruits both in Classical Greek and 
Roman cultures.... Can anybody give me an practical explanation of how 
these fruits were taken from India to Spain?

Skeptically
Krishna
>
>This seems to be the accepted etymology of naranja:
>
>Spanish naranja < Arabic naaranj < Persian naarang < Sanskrit naaranga
>
>English orange came through a similar route < Old French orange < 
Arabic
>naaranj, etc.
>
>The question is, where does Skt. naaranga come from?  MW compares it to
>naaga-ranga; and Gomez de Silva (in his Spanish etymological 
dictionary)
>suggests it could possibly come from the Tamil word naru, fragrant.  
Any
>thoughts?
>
>
>Luis Gonzalez-Reimann
>University of California, Berkeley
>
>
>


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