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Enriching flavour of lemon

The goodness of the yellow fruit can never be overstated

TANGY Lemons rich in Vitamin C

Lemon is supposed to have originated in North India or Burma, while lime is originally from Malaysia. The oval yellow/green fruit is used in juices and for flavouring.

Rough lemon: It has a rough skin and is mostly cultivated in the tropics. The fruit is round and a little bigger than lemon. It is used in the same way as lemon.

Lime: One of the most commonly cultivated citrus fruits in the tropics, it is shaped like a lemon, but is smaller and has more acid.

Leech lime: It is slightly bigger than lime and has a wart-like skin.

Limquat: It's like lime but smaller in size.

Characteristics

The lime family is known for its detoxifying property. If you want to cleanse your system, squeeze some lime or lemon into orange juice and drink it.

Squeezing half a lime into your fruit drink will freshen it up and make it sparkling. If you are ill, a glass of boiled water with the juice of half a lemon and a teaspoon of brown or cane sugar will taste great.

Lime and lemon are rich in Vitamin C.

Slices of lemon are served as a garnish on fish or meat or with iced or hot tea, to be squeezed for the flavourful juice.

In Colombia, lemon soup is made by adding slices of lemon to dry bread roll that has been sautéed in shortening until soft and then sieved. Sugar and a cup of wine are added and the mixture brought to a boil, and then served.

Lemon juice, fresh, canned, concentrated, dehydrated or powdered, is primarily used for lemonade, in carbonated beverages or other drinks. It is also used for making pies and tarts, as a flavouring for cakes, cookies, cake icings, puddings, sherbet, confectionery and preserves. A few drops of lemon juice, added to cream before whipping, gives stability to the whipped cream.

Lemon peel can be candied at home, is preserved in brine and supplied to manufacturers of confectionery and baked goods. It is the source of lemon oil, pectin and citric acid.

Lemon oil, or otherwise processed lemon juice is used to enrich the flavour, including for hard candies.

Lemon juice is valued in the home as a stain remover, and a slice of lemon dipped in salt can be used to clean copper-bottomed cooking pots. Lemon juice has been used for bleaching freckles and is incorporated into some facial cleansing creams. Lemon peel oil is used in furniture polishes, detergents, soaps and shampoos. It is important in perfume blending, especially in colognes.

Medicinal uses

Lemon juice in hot water has been widely advocated as a laxative, but daily doses have been found to erode the enamel of the teeth. Lemon juice and honey, or lemon juice with salt or ginger, is taken when needed as a remedy for cold. It was the juice of the Mediterranean sweet lemon, not the lime that was carried aboard British sailing ships of the 18th Century to prevent scurvy, though the sailors became known as "limeys".

Now for a recipe.

Steamed Fish in
Light Lemony Sauce
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves four
Ingredients
Fish (pomfret) fillet: 400 gm
Sliced mango ginger: 5 gm
Sliced onions: 20 gm
Beans sprout: 5 gm
Sliced tomato: 20 gm
French beans (cut into 1-inch pieces): 20 gm
Greens spinach: 20 gm
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves: a few
For marination
Sliced ginger: 5ml
Lemon juice: 10gm
Salt to taste

Method

Marinate the fish with lemon juice, salt and ginger.

Arrange the marinated fish with sliced mango ginger, sliced onions, beans sprout, sliced tomatoes and greens in layers, and steam for 10 minutes.

Remove from the steamer. Remove the remaining juice from the dish and reduce.

Check the seasoning and pour it on top of the steamed fish. Serve hot with steamed rice or steamed bun.

V.K. CHANDRASHEKARAN

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