Jump to navigation Jump to search This article is about the fruit. Not to be confused lemon herb tahini Iemon. 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.

Lemons are supposed to have entered Europe near southern Italy no later than the second century AD, during the time of Ancient Rome. The first substantial cultivation of lemons in Europe began in Genoa in the middle of the 15th century. The lemon was later introduced to the Americas in 1493 when Christopher Columbus brought lemon seeds to Hispaniola on his voyages. In 1747, James Lind’s experiments on seamen suffering from scurvy involved adding lemon juice to their diets, though vitamin C was not yet known as an important dietary ingredient.

The origin of the word lemon may be Middle Eastern. Detailed taxonomic illustration by Franz Eugen Köhler. The ‘Bonnie Brae’ is oblong, smooth, thin-skinned and seedless. These are mostly grown in San Diego County, USA. The ‘Eureka’ grows year-round and abundantly.

This variety is also available as a plant to domestic customers. The Lisbon lemon is very similar to the Eureka and is the other common supermarket lemon. It is smoother than the Eureka, has thinner skin, and has fewer or no seeds. It generally produces more juice than the Eureka.

Teresa’, or ‘Sorrento’ originates in Italy. This fruit’s zest is high in lemon oils. It is the variety traditionally used in the making of limoncello. The ‘Yen Ben’ is an Australasian cultivar. Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Other essential nutrients are low in content. Lemons contain numerous phytochemicals, including polyphenols, terpenes, and tannins.

Lemon juice, rind, and peel are used in a wide variety of foods and drinks. The whole lemon is used to make marmalade, lemon curd and lemon liqueur. Lemon slices and lemon rind are used as a garnish for food and drinks. Lemon juice is used to make lemonade, soft drinks, and cocktails. It is used in marinades for fish, where its acid neutralizes amines in fish by converting them into nonvolatile ammonium salts.

In Morocco, lemons are preserved in jars or barrels of salt. The salt penetrates the peel and rind, softening them, and curing them so that they last almost indefinitely. The preserved lemon is used in a wide variety of dishes. Preserved lemons can also be found in Sicilian, Italian, Greek, and French dishes.

The peel can be used in the manufacture of pectin, a polysaccharide used as a gelling agent and stabilizer in food and other products. Lemon oil is extracted from oil-containing cells in the skin. A machine breaks up the cells, and uses a water spray to flush off the oil. The leaves of the lemon tree are used to make a tea and for preparing cooked meats and seafoods.

Lemons were the primary commercial source of citric acid before the development of fermentation-based processes. Lemon oil may be used in aromatherapy. Lemon oil aroma does not influence the human immune system, but may contribute to relaxation. One educational science experiment involves attaching electrodes to a lemon and using it as a battery to produce electricity.