Lemon
Pagès has chosen to introduce Lemon in several of its creations. This citrus fruit with its acidulous taste goes well with many other plants, for a fresh tasting.
Lemon, a citrus fruit with a powerful aromatic essence and multiple virtues
Origins of lemon
The Lemon tree is a shrub native to Southeast Asia and more precisely to Kashmir (a region bordering India and China). Widespread in Palestine and India for about three millennia, the Lemon tree was only known in Greece, then in Italy, at the beginning of the Christian era.
It would have been acclimatized in Mesopotamia where the Hebrews learned to cultivate it, probably during Babylon's period of captivity. Very quickly appreciated, the Lemon soon became important in the way of life of these people. It appeared in several ceremonies, such as Tabernacle Day. The Greeks obviously did not cultivate it much, even if they used it in the wedding festivities.
The Arab people then introduced it to Western Europe and called it "limung". It is in Spain that it was called " limon ". The Anglo-Saxons used this word to transform it into "lemon", a word that currently refers to the Lemon in the English language.
Today, Lemon is a citrus fruit appreciated by many civilizations for its virtues and its characteristic taste. The city of Menton in France has even chosen the fruit as an effigy.
Characteristics of lemon
Name: Citrus limonium
Family: Rutaceae
Species: Fruit shrub
Lemon tree is cultivated on the Mediterranean coast and in all regions of the world with a semi-tropical climate. Its spiny branches have large, tough and persistent leaves. The flowers, fragrant, look like little lilies. The Lemon tree has the particularity of bearing at the same time flowers, nascent fruits, green fruits and ripe fruits of a beautiful yellow colour.
The Lemon is a fleshy oval-shaped fruit composed of two superposed layers. The outer layer, called "flavedo" from the Latin "flaveo" meaning "yellow", is the one on which the Lemon zest is found. The inner layer, called "albedo" from the Latin "albedo" meaning "whiteness", is white and spongy.
Uses of lemon
Lemon is very often used for its therapeutic properties.
Lemon is also one of the essential ingredients of the culinary art. Its acidulous, almost tangy taste makes it possible to spice up any dish, salty or sweet.
Lemon is also used for detox cures, by drinking its juice with hot water. Lemon can also be infused, it then releases its virtues more easily and gives a fresh aroma to drinks.
Benefits of lemon
Lemon is given many virtues. Its high vitamin C content, well known to all, first of all made it a valuable medicine against scurvy when it was rampant.
Its powerful antibacterial power is useful in case of febrile diseases.
The Lemon can have a detoxifying and purifying action on the whole body.
Lemon juice is often used on insect bites, sunburn, fungal infections or acne.
