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The lemon ( Citrus × limon) is a species of small evergreen tree in the Citrus genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some evidence suggests lemons originated during the 1st millennium BC in what is now northeastern India. Some other citrus fruits are called lemon.
The yellow hesperidium of the lemon tree is used throughout the world, primarily for its juice. The pulp and rind are used in cooking and baking. The juice of the lemon is about 5–6% citric acid, giving it a sour taste. This makes it a key ingredient in and foods such as lemonade and lemon meringue pie.
In 2022, world production was 22 million , led by India with 18% of the total.
Lemons contain many , including , , and . Their juice contains slightly more citric acid than lime juice (about 47 g/L), nearly twice as much as grapefruit juice, and about five times as much as orange juice.
Lemons were most likely first grown in northwest India. The origin of the word lemon may be Middle Eastern. The word draws from the Old French limon, then Italian limone, from the Arabic ليمون laymūn or līmūn, and from the Persian language لیمو līmūn, a generic term for citrus fruit, which is a cognate of Sanskrit ( nimbū, 'lime').
Lemons entered Europe near southern Italy no later than the second century AD, during the time of Ancient Rome. They were later introduced to Persia and then to Iraq and Egypt around 700 AD. The lemon was first recorded in literature in a 10th-century Arabic treatise on farming; it was used as an ornamental plant in early . It was distributed widely throughout the Arab world and the Mediterranean region in the Arab Agricultural Revolution between 1000 and 1150. A section on lemon and lime tree cultivation in Andalusia, Spain, was included in Ibn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work, Kitāb al-Filāha ("Book on Agriculture"). (pp. –301) (Article XXXII) The first substantial cultivation of lemons in Europe began in Genoa in the middle of the 15th century. It was 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, part of the Columbian exchange of plants between the Old World and New Worlds. It was mainly used as an ornamental plant and for medicine. In the 19th century, lemons were increasingly planted in Florida and California. In 1747, the English physician 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.
In cultivation in the United Kingdom, the cultivars "Meyer" and "Variegata" have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017).
| 3.8 | |
| 3.1 | |
| 2.6 | |
| 1.8 | |
| 1.6 | |
| 1.3 | |
| 21.5 | |
| Source: FAOSTAT of the United Nations. | |
In 2022, world production of lemons (combined with limes for reporting) was 22 million led by India with 18% of the total. Mexico and China were major secondary producers (table).
The 'Eureka' grows year-round and abundantly. This is the common supermarket lemon, also known as "Four Seasons" ( Quatre Saisons) because of its ability to produce fruit and flowers together throughout the year. This variety is also available as a plant for domestic customers. There is also a pink-fleshed Eureka lemon with a green and yellow variegated outer skin. Variegated pink at the Citrus Variety Collection.
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.
The 'Femminello St. 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.
It is used in for fish, where its acid neutralizes in fish. In meat, the acid partially hydrolysis tough collagen fibers, tenderizing it. In the United Kingdom, lemon juice is frequently added to pancakes eaten to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. Lemon juice is used as a short-term preservative on certain foods that tend to oxidize and turn brown after being sliced (enzymatic browning), such as , , and : its acidity suppresses oxidation by polyphenol oxidase enzymes.
Lemon peel is used in the manufacture of pectin, a gelling agent and stabilizer in food and other products. In Mediterranean countries including 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.
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 oil–water mixture is then filtered and separated by centrifugation.
The leaves of the lemon tree are used to make a tea and for preparing cooked meats and .
In India, a lemon may be ritually encircled around a person in the belief that it repels negative energies. It is a common practice for Hindu owners of a new car to drive over four lemons, one under each wheel, crushing them during their first drive. This is believed to protect the driver from accidents. Hindu deities are sometimes depicted with lemons in their iconography, representing the attribute of wealth or abundance.
In 20th century American self-improvement culture, Dale Carnegie advised readers "If You Have a Lemon, Make a Lemonade", meaning to make the best of what you have. In the 21st century, a defective machine such as a car is called a lemon.
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