To All,
In summary, the importance of the citron for the Fruit Explorer lies not in the comparatively minor role it plays in human affairs but in its introducing citrus fruits to the West, in supplying a name for the citrus fruits, and in giving rise to descendant citrus fruits. (The latter two points are discussed in future e-mails.)
All of the previous encounters reported in these e-mails have been my personal experiences with actual, physical fruits. This week I depart from this tradition and report on the citron (Citrus medica), which I have only encountered through the Internet. The rationale for this departure is that this is an important fruit that we should know about. For the Fruit Explorer the main importance of the citron lies in the claim that all citrus fruits are descended from four basal citrus fruits.
- Pomelo
- Mandarin
- Citron
- Papeda
I have already covered the pomelo (19 Oct 2014) and the mandarin (7 Mar 2015). The next two e-mails will cover the two remaining basal citrus fruits, and this will provide the foundation for a simplified discussion of citrus history and evolution that will appear in a coming e-mail.
Like all the basal citrus fruits, the citron evolved in Southeast Asia. It apparently had made its way to Egypt by 1500 BC; the basis for this statement is that it is thought that a carving of a citron appears on the wall of the temple at Karnak. (For background on the pharaohs' active seeking of exotic plants, see the brief discussion, pp. 191-92 and the last line of Table 1, p. 192.) The citron did not make it to Europe, however, until brought back by the returning armies of Alexander the Great after they conquered Bactria, i.e., Afghanistan and Pakistan, in the fourth century BC. The citron was the first citrus fruit that was brought to the West, and it was the only citrus fruit in the MIddle East until the ninth century AD when the sour orange (17 Jul 2014) was brought to Arabia.
Below are pictures of the citron. The mainstream citron is lemon yellow but is somewhat larger than a lemon. It has a pebbled exterior that makes it look like a stylized corn-on-the-cob or like a hand grenade. The last two pictures are of a variety that looks like a squid; this variety is known as the Buddha's hand or fingered citron. One aficionado says that the Buddha's hand, "...is often used instead of flowers as a centerpiece that perfumes a room for weeks with its delightful citrus smell ."
A distinguishing feature of the citron is its cross-section.The first picture below shows a cross-section of a typical citrus fruit. You see the outer peel, which is called the flavedo, the inner peel, which is called the albedo, the central column, and the pulp, which this snooty diagram pedantically calls "carpels with juicy vesicles." Next come several cross-sections of the citron. As you see, the inner peel of the citron is much larger than we are used to seeing.
Most citrus fruits are peeled so that their pulpy, juicy segments can be eaten. In contrast, according to Wikipedia,"...the citron's pulp is dry, containing a small quantity of insipid juice, if any." In short, the dwarfed pulp is rarely used. In ancient times, the citron was put to various practical uses. For example, as Theophrastus says:
...the fruit is put among clothes; it keeps them from being moth-eaten. It is also useful when one has drunk deadly poison, for when it is administered in wine, it upsets the stomach and brings up the poison. [punctuation corrected]
In modern times, while the zest (shavings of the outer peel, see the e-mail of 8 Feb 2015) of the citron can be used in perfumes and flavorings, the main use of the citron involves its substantial inner peel, which is an important article in international trade. The inner peel is often made intosuccade, i.e., candied peel. The French call it fruit glacé. Check out this description of how to make candied citron in your own kitchen. Citron peel is favored over other citrus peels for this purpose not only because it is thicker but also because it is less bitter than other citrus peels. Also derived from the inner peel is pectin, which is used as a gelling agent in jams and jellies.
Citron sees limited use in other homemade products.
Citron has been brought to the masses by a Walmart product, Pedi-Scrub Foot Buffer, which features citron-eucalyptus aromatherapy ("Your feet will never feel the same!"). Citron is also used in olive oil, which can also be used as a skin moisturizer. Other uses not pictured are in pickles and fruitcakes. (Would any reader like to report on the use of Pedi-Scrub Foot Buffer?)
I had to use considerable care in choosing the pictures of citron products since, as I learned from my bi-lingual can of shaving cream and as Mei-Mei confirmed, "citron" is the French word for lemon. An example of the difficulty of finding true citron pictures is that the vodka Absolut Citron features lemon and lime, not citron as the name would lead you to believe. If you want a true citron drink such as a citron rosemary fizz, you will first need to make your own citron vodka.
Here are two more sources of confusion. The popular Korean beverage called citron tea is made not from citron but from another citrus fruit,yuzu. (What alerted me to this problem is that the picture of the fruit on the front of the jar did not look like a citron.) Finally, "citron vert" is French for lime, so the bon bon below is, despite its name, not made from citron..
Citron has led to a few art objects.
The citron, along with the branches from three plants, plays a central role in the Jewish religious holiday known as Sukkot. This festival of unreserved joyfulness has the dual role of, historically, commemorating the forty years of wandering in the desert and, agriculturally, celebrating the gathering of the crops. The Biblical authority for this ceremony is Leviticus 23:40: "...you shall take the fruit of citrus-trees, palm fronds, and leafy branches, and willows from the riverside, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days." (This translation is from The New English Bible, 1970. The "leafy branches" are interpreted to be myrtle branches. Recall that the citron was the only citrus fruit known in the Middle East at the time of Leviticus.) In Hebrew, the citron is known as the etrog (Hebrew: אֶתְרֹג). The four plant parts are combined into a composite structure called the lulav; an animation below shows the proper way to wave the lulav around during the celebration in order to rejoice before the Lord.
An etrog used for ritual purposes must be grown from seed and cannot be grown by grafting. An unblemished, shapely fruit, which is prized for the ceremony, can sell for $100, with prices around Boston for an acceptable though not perfect etrog starting at $30 or $40. The ceremony requires a temporary structure to commemorate the shelters that the Israelites lived in while wandering in the desert. Those of you who have been to Pepe and Maria's Lake House have perhaps seen the ruins of the structure that José and Josh built in which to celebrate Sukkot. (Since a permanent structure would have raised the New Hampshire property tax, the temporary structure was very much in line with Pepe's thinking.) The silver object pictured below is a holder that protects the etrog from damage while it is being transported or stored. The last picture shows Josh holding an etrog, José, and a fellow worshipper holding the lulav.
After the ceremony you might want to relax with cocktails made from recipes (including one called an etrog ricky) that feature a etrog liqueur that is certified kosher.
If you are wondering how the citron is portrayed in world cinema, you can check out the 2004 movie Ushpizin, which is a drama set during Sukkot. Below you can see that an etrog is featured prominently on the front of the DVD box
Since I didn't try a citron, there is no verdict, but you should not eat a raw citron unless you want to bring up some poison.
Maybe you're tired of throwing all these parties and want to let off some steam at someone else's place. Therefore, your party tip is to crash someone's Sukkot celebration. Since unexpected guests are welcome at Sukkot, this is one of the few parties you can crash without fear of being ejected. Remember though, the party is being held in a temporary structure, called a Sukkah, so don't drink so much etrog liqueur that you fall against a wall; if you bring down the roof, you will be branded a squashparty. Don't outrage religious sensibilities while in the Sukkah by changing a baby's diaper, by refusing to wear the party hat, or by using the lulav to swat flies or clean home plate. Otherwise, be yourself and treat the occasion as an adult slumber party. Feel free to bring your dog, but do not play fetch with the lulav.
In summary, the importance of the citron for the Fruit Explorer lies not in the comparatively minor role it plays in human affairs but in its introducing citrus fruits to the West, in supplying a name for the citrus fruits, and in giving rise to descendant citrus fruits. (The latter two points are discussed in future e-mails.)
Acknowledgement: Thanks to José and Josh for patiently walking me through the subtleties of Jewish ceremony and for supplying information, ideas, and pictures.
The Fruit Explorer
P.S. Thanks to Robin for calling to my attention that today, 3-14-15, is super pi day since the date gives the first five digits of pi, 3.141592653.... Here is a fruit-related pi joke from an MIT website.
