Lemons 3

Citrus is derived from Greek kedromelon "apple of cedar" (Greek melon is cognate to Latin malum "apple"); this name, however, did not signify lemon, but citron, whose cultivation in Egypt is reported by Greek travellers. The Romans, then, shortened the Greek name to citrus. The name "lemon" and limonum is derived from the Arabic Limun or Limu, which in its turn probably comes from the Sanskrit Nimbuka. Citrus limonum is thought native to central Asia, especially northern India, and Iran. The trees reached Europe by way of Iran and were grown first in Greece and then in Italy in the 2nd century. Medieval or even older sources referring to lemons always mean the very aromatic, but juice-free citron. Today, lemons are cultivated in many tropic or sub-tropic countries. The USA and Mexico are the main producers. In Europe, most lemons actually stem from Spain or Italy. The well-known fruit is an ovoid berry, about three inches long, nipple-shaped at the end, smooth, bright yellow, indented over the oil-glands, having an acid, pale yellow pulp. About 47 varieties are said to have been developed during the centuries of cultivation. Lemon is mostly valued for its juice which contains sugars and fruit acids, mainly citric acid. Lemon juice displays a unique, intensive acidity which is at the same time tart and fruity. There is hardly one single cuisine in the world that does not make use of lemon juice. Lemon juice is especially popular in the east Mediterranean and Latin America. The finest lemons are those which are smoothest and thinnest in the skin. In Western cuisine, fried or grilled fish is nearly always served with a few splashes of lemon juice which mitigates the typical `fishy' smell and makes it more pleasant. It is also often employed to prepare refreshing salads, especially in Mediterranean countries. Lemon juice intensifies the flavour of many fruits, and a few drops of lemon juice plus a dash of sugar creates a slightly sweet-sour tang that can make many vegetables more interesting. Outside of the tropics, lemon juice is often (ab)used as a substitute for lime juice.
Lemons
Lemon peel is used in cookery and confectionery, and also in medicine to correct the taste and augment the power of bitter infusions and tinctures, it's virtues being similar to that of the orange peel. Preparations of the rind are used as an aromatic addition to tonics, and also the syrup of the fresh peel, and the juice. The juice of lemon is tonic, refrigerant, and antiscorbutic, forming a refreshing and agreeable drink, called lemonade, possessing some medicinal influence, and which, as with orange juice, may be used freely and advantageously in the febrile and inflammatory diseases, with reddened mucous membranes. Lemon peel consists of two layers. The thin yellow, outermost layer, (pericarp, "zest") contains an essential oil (6%), that is mostly composed of limonene (90%) and citral (5%) plus traces of citronellal, alpha-terpineol, linalyl and geranyl acetate. The white albedo, inner layer, (mesocarp) on the other hand, contains no essential oil but a variety of bitter flavone glycosides and coumarin derivatives. When the lemon peel is grated, care must be taken to limit the amount of the mesocarp, as the essential oil and hence the aroma is located in the pericarp exclusively; in contrast, the mesocarp is bitter. It is virtually impossible to avoid the bitter mesocarp completely, and so grated lemon peel will always display a slightly bitter quality. The oil is obtained from the fresh peel, either by steam distillation or pressure; and is mostly produced in Europe. The oil, Oleum Limonis, is more fragrant and valuable if obtained by expression than by distillation. In Sicily and Calabria, and sometimes at Nice and Mentone, where the 'Essence de Citron distillee' is prepared by rubbing fresh lemons on a coarse, tin grater, and distilling the grated peel with water. The better 'Essence de Citron au zeste' is prepared with the aid of a saucer-shaped, pewter dish with a pouring lip at one side and a closed funnel sunk from the middle. In the bottom are sharp, strong brass pins on which the peel is rubbed.















































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