10 March 2012

BEIRUT: A once popular Mediterranean citrus specialty has nearly disappeared from markets across the country.

A historic staple of citrus orchids, sweet lemons, native to India and long cultivated along the Mediterranean coastline, are scarcely grown now in Lebanon but hit their prime season in winter and early spring.

With demand low and costs of growing high, very few farmers cultivate sweet lemons for commercial purposes. But chefs and nutritionists say there is good reason to keep the subtly sweet fruit around.

Today there are no more than 1,000 boxes of sweet lemons annually produced in the whole of South Lebanon, according to Sami Mroueh, a member of the executive committee of the South Farmers Congregation.

“These days you find a maximum of four sweet lemon trees grown in orchards, and usually for aesthetic purposes, while 20 years ago orchards might have had up to 200 sweet lemon trees each,” Mroueh said. “Personally, I have seven in my orchard but that is very rare.”

This scarcity has caused confusion between sweet lemons and other types of citrus fruits such as sweet oranges and regular lemons. Sweet lemons are very similar to regular lemons in shape and color.

“Young people in Lebanon do not recognize sweet lemons and think they are regular lemons,” Mroueh said.

However, there are subtle ways to tell them apart. Sweet lemons are smaller in size than regular lemons and have a smoother, leathery rind. Sweet lemons are usually a shade paler and their trees have irregular branches with sharp thorns on their twigs.

The taste is also distinct. Sweet lemons do not contain the same levels of acid found in regular lemons or limes, and oils in the skin of the fruit give it a strong, sweet fragrance.

“The sweet lemon tree is known for its very slow growth. If you compare a 20-year-old sweet lemon tree to a 20-year-old regular lemon tree, you will find the lemon tree is twice as big,” Mroueh said, adding that the sweet lemon tree is delicate and sensitive to shifts in weather. “A powerful storm is enough to ruin the fruit and harden it. It is costly to take care of.”

According to Mroueh, the crop is harvest-ready in the winter season and the majority of it is harvested in January and enters the market in February and March. “In the old days, we used to export the fruit to the Gulf region but now it sells at a very low price as people prefer other types of citrus fruits such as Abu Surra oranges, Valencia oranges and clementines.”

Still, every winter Mroueh has several buyers who come to his orchard and ask specifically for sweet lemons and leaves, which are boiled and drunk to alleviate pains from the cold. “An old neighbor of mine lives on them all winter,” he said.

At the vegetable stands in TSC’s Signature store in Downtown, the sweet lemon’s pale yellow is missing from the colorful array of citrus fruit.

Moussa, who works at the stand, explained that the store brings in only two boxes of sweet lemons every few days in comparison to over 15 boxes of oranges. “Sweet lemons are not as popular as oranges and clementines. There is very low demand for them,” he said.

Still, there are those who prefer the juicy fruit’s subtle sweetness to the more pronounced tastes of other citrus fruits. While some might describe sweet lemons as bland due to their lack of tartness, others find that the fruit’s lack of acidity gives it a delicate sweetness.

Sweet lemons can be enjoyed in several ways at the kitchen table. They can be squeezed into sweet lemonade and their fragrant peel can be grated and used in homemade cakes, pies, and even marmalade. Like other citrus fruits, they can also be tossed in a salad or used to flavor cocktails.

Some people also consume the fruit for medicinal purposes to treat flu and chest cold pains. According to Lebanese licensed dietitian Sara Makarem, who has researched the fruit, sweet lemons help increase blood flow. They also contain antioxidants which remove free radicals and other substances that are harmful to human cells.

“They are commonly known for the treatment of cold and flu and the peel has more vitamins than the fruit,” Makarem said.

Sweet lemon ice

INGREDIENTS:

- 4 to 6 servings

- 4 sweet lemons, juiced

- ¾ cup of sugar

- ½ cup of water

- Flavoring of your choice: a teaspoon of rose water or lemon extract of anise

Sugar mimosa for garnishing

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Squeeze the juice of sweet lemons; you should have one cup of juice. Reserve in the fridge. If using the shells, reserve in the freezer until needed.

2. Make the sugar syrup by pouring the sugar and the water in a saucepan and bringing to boil, stirring a bit to dissolve the sugar. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and boil for 5 minutes. Add the flavoring of your choice and let the syrup cool, then refrigerate.

3. Mix the syrup with the sweet lemon juice, and pour into an ice cream maker. You can also freeze and grate later to make granite, which would not require an ice cream maker.

4. Serve in the sweet lemon shells if desired, with a sugar mimosa on top for garnish.

- From Joumana Accad

Copyright The Daily Star 2012.