Other Name: Citron, Historically Cedrate.
A source of confusion is that citron in French and English are false friends, as the French word refers to the lemon, while the English word is translated cédrat. Indeed, into the 16th century, the English name citron included the lemon and perhaps the lime as well. Other languages that use variants of citron to refer to the lemon include Armenian, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, German, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Esperanto, Polish and the Scandinavian languages.
Citrons and bitter oranges are the offspring of today's varieties of lemons. Citron is a frequently used ingredient in Asian cuisine.
Culinary
While the lemon and orange are primarily peeled to consume their pulpy and juicy segments, the citron's pulp is dry, containing a small quantity of juice, if any. The main content of a citron fruit is its thick white rind, which adheres to the segments and cannot easily be separated from them. The citron gets halved and depulped, then its rind (the thicker the better) is cut into pieces. Those are cooked in sugar syrup and used as a spoon sweet known in Greek as "kitro glyko" (κίτρο γλυκό), or diced and candied with sugar and used as a confection in cakes. In Italy, a soft drink called "Cedrata" is made from the fruit.
Folk medicine
From ancient through medieval times, the citron was used mainly for supposed medical purposes to combat seasickness, scurvy and other disorders. The essential oil of the flavedo (the outermost, pigmented layer of rind) was also regarded as an antibiotic.
The juice of the citron has a high content of vitamin C and dietary fiber (pectin) which can be extracted from the thick albedo of the citron.
Choose lemons with smooth, soft skin and bright color.
Note: If you are purchasing lemonade for use, it is not recommended to use this lemon. Please choose ordinary lemons, which are available in the Netherlands and Yunnan.
Cooking skills
It has a strong aroma, sour and slightly bitter taste. Since the pulp and juice taste extremely sour and slightly bitter, they are not suitable for direct consumption. They are mainly used as puree and sometimes as cooking materials.
Candied Perfume Lemon
The ratio of perfume lemon/sugar (organic rock sugar or 2 sand/glass bottle (jar) is 1:1. If you don’t want too much sugar, you can reduce it by half.
1. Wash and drain the water💦
2. Slice (the size is as you like, it is recommended not to be too thick)
3. Put some sugar in the glass bottle first
Stack one layer of lemon slices, one layer of sugar and one layer of sugar in sequence and let it rest.
After the sugar dissolves for a few hours, put it in the refrigerator and eat it after 1 month😋
🍯How to make candied honey, just replace the sugar with honey
According to traditional Chinese medicine, green food can channel liver qi and play a very good role in soothing the liver, relieving depression, and relieving emotions☺️
#Remarks Matters
Perfume lemons are mainly used as fruit puree after being stirred, and are sometimes used as cooking seasonings, but they are basically not used for fresh consumption. In addition, the peel is its main purpose. Due to its medicinal effects, it is generally used as an important ingredient in tangerine peel lemons and stewed lemons.
The sour taste can easily cause nausea, so those with gastrointestinal problems should not eat too much. Lemon peel can be used for medicinal purposes.
Commonly Used Dishes
The thick skin is suitable for slicing and adding boiling water to taste. Or used in cakes, dishes, vinegar soaking, pickled preserves, etc.
The lemon is mainly the peeled part, while the pulp is dry and contains little if any juice. The main component of the applicable part of the fruit is the thick white peel, which adheres to the segments and is not easily separated from the segments. The peel is cut in half and the pulp removed, then its rind (the thicker the better) is chopped into pieces. Cooked in syrup and used as a spoonful sweet, called "kitro glyko" (κιτρο γλυκό) in Greece, or diced and candied with sugar and used as a dessert in cakes. In Italy, a soft drink called "Cedrata" is made from this fruit.
Suggested dishes
- Tangerine peel stewed with lemon
- Perfume lemon (pure) honey
- Candied Perfume Lemon
The ratio of water lemon/sugar (organic rock sugar or 2 sand/glass bottle (jar) is 1:1. If you don’t want too much sugar, you can reduce it by half.
Wash the skin and drain the water. Dip the slices into freshly ground coffee powder, coffee sugar or fine sugar and mix well. It tastes great👍.
