2. History of Lemon
The origin of the lemon is unknown, though lemons are
thought to have first grown in Assam (a region in northeast
India), northern Burma or China. A study of the genetic
origin of the lemon reported it to be hybrid between bitter
orange (sour orange) and citron. Nowadays, they do not
grow there.
Lemons entered Europe near southern Italy no later than
the second century AD, during the time of Ancient Rome.
However, they were not widely cultivated.
3. 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.
Spanish conquest throughout the New World helped
spread lemon seeds. It was mainly used as an ornamental
plant and for medicine. In the 19th century, lemons were
increasingly planted in Florida and California.
4. 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.
The origin of the word "lemon" may be Middle Eastern.
The word draws from the Old French limon, then
Italian limone, from the Arabic laymūn or līmūn, and
from the Persian līmūn, a generic term for citrus fruit,
which is a cognate of Sanskrit (nimbū, “lime”).
5. Latin name is: Citrus limon
Climate conditions: Subtropics or greenhouses
Produced: USA, Italy, Greece and Spain
Varieties:
Interdonato
This variety grows in Italy, it is resistant to mal-sec. Probably it is a hybrid
from cedrat and citrus, dated back to 1875 in Sicily. The tree is straight,
without thorns. The harvest is in the beginning of winter, the earliest of
all other citrus tree in Italy.
Varieties
6. Meyer lemon citrus - Tanaka
This tree comes from China, it is very popular kind. It
blossoms white, the blooms are quite big and
aromatic. It gives harvest twice, during the whole
year but mostly in winter. Lemons are nicely sour
even sweetish. You can it also its skin which may be
yellow or orange. Because the skin is quite weak,
these lemons are not suitable for export. It is
resistant to cold weather. But it can carry virus of
tristeza.
7. Monachello or Moscatello
(read monakelo, moskatelo). It comes
from Italy. It ripes from September to
November. It is resistant to mal-sec. The
tree is quite short. There are few thorns
on the branches. It has a lot of leaves.
The leaves are quite large.
8. Sfusato Amalfitano
It comes from Italy. It doesn´t have any thorns. The three has a medium
height. The fruit is middle sized of great quality. It ripens from November
to January.
9. http://citruspages.free.fr/citrons.html
You can learn much more about lemons and other citrus fruit here:
CITRONS:
http://citruspages.free.fr/lemons.html
http://citruspages.free.fr/jaffacitrus.html
http://citruspages.free.fr/types.html
LEMONS:
JAVA CITRUS:
CITRUS TYPES:
10. Aroma and taste
The lemon juice is about 5% to 6% citric acid, which gives a sour taste.
The distinctive sour taste of lemon juice makes it a key ingredient in
drinks and food. Lemon can be also bitter.