Citrus ×limon

Citrus ×limon is a species of small evergreen tree in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to South Asia, primarily North eastern India. Its fruits are round in shape and have a vivid yellow color. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world, primarily for its juice, which has both culinary and cleaning uses. The pulp and rind (zest) are also used in cooking and baking. The juice of the lemon is about 5% to 6% citric acid, with a pH of around 2.2, giving it a sour taste. The distinctive sour taste of lemon juice makes it a key ingredient in drinks and foods such as lemonade and lemon meringue pie.

History

The exact origin of the lemon has remained a mystery, though it is widely presumed that lemons first grew in India, northern Burma, and China. In South and Southeast Asia, it was known for its antiseptic properties and it was used as an antidote for various poisons. Lemons entered Europe (near southern Italy) no later than the 1st century AD, during the time of Ancient Rome. However, they were not widely cultivated. It was later introduced to Persia and then to Iraq and Egypt around AD 700. The lemon was first recorded in literature in a 10th-century Arabic treatise on farming, and was also used as an ornamental plant in early Islamic gardens.

Cultivation

Lemon trees can be very productive and will produce fruit all year round in the right conditions. They prefer a sunny position and well-drained, fertile soil. If the trees are given plenty of water and fertilizer, they will grow rapidly and can start producing fruit when they are as young as three years old. The trees are harvested by hand and sent to packing sheds for grading, sizing and packing.

Uses

Lemons are used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world. The fruit is used for cooking and baking, and its juice is used in a variety of drinks. Lemon juice is also used as a short-term preservative on certain foods that tend to oxidize and turn brown after being sliced, such as apples, bananas and avocados, where its acid denatures the enzymes that cause browning and degradation. Lemons are also used for cleaning purposes and in traditional medicine.

See also

• citrus
• citric acid
• lemonade
• lemon meringue pie