Orangina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Orangina is a carbonated soft drink made from oranges and lemons. According to its English website, "The exact formula is a closely guarded secret, but Orangina is made up of a high content of orange juice and pulp: The bottle claims 12% juice, and 2% pulp." [1] It has a long history, but was produced in colonized Algeria, and later in France after Algeria won its independence. The brand's popularity extends from its unique flavour to the iconic design of its 25cl size bottle made in the shape of a pear with a pebbly texture meant to recall the peel of an orange or other citrus fruit.
It is a very popular beverage in Europe with big assets, and to a lesser extent in North America. It was originally produced for the North American market in Canada, but was recently moved to Hialeah, Florida in the United States. Orangina is also produced in Vietnam by Fosters Vietnam under licence and is sold in Carrefour branches in Taiwan.
Recently, new flavours have emerged in Europe including Orangina Sanguine which is made from blood oranges (hence the name) and also contains caffeine and guarana. It is significantly more sour than regular Orangina. Other flavors such as the series called "les givrés" (which can be translated as both "frosted" and "crazy") are also available in Europe, but rarely seen in North America.
In France, Orangina is also famous for its advertisements: they almost always show people dressed into Orangina bottle costumes (or soft drink-related costumes). The most famous one was the Orangina Rouge costume person (played by Maurice Lamy), who was depicted as a mad chainsaw-wielding killer (since the drink was based on blood oranges, a horror movie context was created), attacking a family in a car who travelled through the forest. This was the origin of the popular French catchphrase: "Mais pourquoi est-il si méchant?" spoken by a child ("But why is he so evil?") to which the Orangina Rouge character replies with his equally famous catchphrase: "PARCE QUE!" ("BECAUSE!")
[edit] Pronunciation
Orangina is pronounced in its country of origin (among other places) 'o-RON'-zhee-nah' (IPA: [ɔ.ʀɑ̃ːʒi.nɑ]) . Other pronunciations like 'oranj-EYE-nuh' (IPA: [ˌɔɹənˈdʒaɪ.nə]) and 'oranj'-EE-nuh' (IPA: [ˌɔɹənˈdʒi.nə]), may also be heard. The latter is preferred in the United States and some other English speaking countries (so as to prevent it being pronounced like "vagina"[citation needed]). Correct French pronunciation can currently be heard on the brand's official website.[2]
Orangina is owned by Dutch-based Schweppes International Limited. In Britain, it is manufactured under licence by A.G. Barr plc of Glasgow, most famous for Irn Bru.
[edit] Trivia
The Decemberists official website lists Orangina as the group's official drink under the category of "Other Assorted Things we find particularly fetching." Rather than referring to actual sponsorship, the proclamation is an example of the Decemberist's style of humor. [3]
On Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen's character frequently drinks Orangina.
