Here at Florida Fruit, we never get tired of learning about citrus—it’s
such a unique, ancient and multifaceted fruit, with an incredibly rich history.
Although we already knew about some of the unique citrus out there, we were
truly amazed by some of the unusual and downright strange citrus we learned
about when writing this piece. Check out
some of these fascinating fruits, and prepare to be astonished.
The Ponderosa Lemon
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| "World's largest lemons (Ponderosa) (c) 2011 Boston Public Library, CC-BY-SA 2.0 |
Want to make an entire batch of lemonade…with just two lemons?
With the Ponderosa, you might be able to. Although these citrus are actually a
hybrid of a pomelo and a citron, they taste pretty much exactly like the lemons
we all know and love…just WAY bigger. Ponderosas aren’t found much in stores,
but if you live in a citrus-growing region, you may find someone who has one in
their yard. One issue with the Ponderosa is that they’re very cold-sensitive.
The Kumquat
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| "Kumquat on the tree" (c) 2008 Oliver Dodd, CC-BY-SA 2.0 |
These little oblong fruit, approximately the size of a large
olive, are pretty well-known to Floridians. However, I often find that those
outside the state consider them sort of mythical or a bit of a joke fruit. What
is so unusual about these is that you eat them whole—skin and all! In fact, the
skin is quite sweet, almost sweeter than the inside. If you get the chance, try a candied
kumquat, an old-timey Florida treat.
The Bergamot
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| "Bergamot" (c) 2013 Leslie Seaton, CC-BY-SA 2.0 |
Ever enjoyed a hot cup of Earl Grey tea? Then you’ve savored
the flavor of a bergamot, a yellow-green citrus that is believed to be a cross
between a lime and a sour orange. The bergamot is too sour to eat out of hand,
but has a unique and unusual fragrance that is distilled into an essential oil
used in teas and perfumes. Bergamot oil is also used in Turkish delight candy and Turkish smokeless tobacco. Not your typical citrus!
The Finger Lime
The first time I saw one of these, I wasn’t sure if it was
a) real or b) a citrus at all. But it is, and they are (according to
scientists). Native to Australia, the tiny lime “pearls” inside the skin pop in
your mouth and are refreshingly acidic. This is one to surprise people with, for
sure.
The Buddha’s Hand
We’ve featured the extremely unusual Buddha’s Hand here
before due to its religious significance. This crazy-looking citrus has no
juicy sections inside; instead, it’s pretty much all pith and rind. It is extremely
fragrant and the zest is often candied. It may also be used to perfume clothes
or rooms. When the “fingers” of the fruit are closed, it is said to resemble a
praying Buddha’s hand and may be used as a religious offering.
The Citrus Bizarria
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| CitrusBizarria (c) 2015 Hesperthusa, CC-BY-SA 2.0 |
This astonishing citrus looks like something out of a myth
or legend, but it really exists. First discovered in the 1600s in Florence,
Italy, these trees bear both Seville oranges and citrons on a single tree along
with strange “mixed” fruit that look really weird and almost alien-like…a
mixture of all kinds of citrus characteristics. The “bizarria” was thought to
be lost to time until it was rediscovered by a garden caretaker in the 1970s.
The Blood Lime
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| Blood lime (c) 2014 CSIRO CC-3.0 |
You may well have heard of, seen, or eaten the blood orange,
which is orange on the outside but a striking red inside, but you probably have
not encountered the blood lime—an amazing red inside and out! This is a
small Australian lime that has a pretty
typical lime flavor. It is a hybrid of the red finger lime and a Mandarin.
The Sour Orange
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| Marmalade made from the Seville orange |
While not too popular in the US today, this ancient variety
of orange was one of the first oranges grown and eaten and is still used in a
dizzying variety of cuisines around the world, and especially in marmalade.
Also called a Seville orange, the sour orange is very seedy, very sour, and
extremely flavorful. You would never want to peel and eat one, but they still have great culinary value.
The Sweet Lemon
First sour oranges…now sweet lemons? Yup. Sweet lemons, also
called limettas, look like lemons but
taste rather like sweet limes and have almost no acidity. They are popular in
India and the Middle East and can be peeled and eaten like an orange.
The Tangelo (Honeybell)
Wait…is a tangelo an unusual citrus? To some people it is!
For one thing, that funny “bell” on the top of the fruit can strike those not
familiar as pretty unexpected! For another, unless you live in Florida or shop
at specialty markets, you may not have had a chance to try one. Even then, you
may never have had a truly top-quality Honeybell…the ones that make it to the
store often don’t fall into this category.
If you think this is the end of the story about weird,
amazing, and unusual citrus…well, it definitely isn’t. There are lots more out
there, from Japanese citrus that can survive when it’s 10 below, to mystical
citrons considered holy, to pure black, inedible citrus.
Of course, most of us prefer the kind that taste delicious. Luckily, we’ve got plenty of those for you here at Florida Fruit Shippers. Like a touch of the unusual? We think you’ll love our Red Navels, Honeybells, or Sol Zests.
Of course, most of us prefer the kind that taste delicious. Luckily, we’ve got plenty of those for you here at Florida Fruit Shippers. Like a touch of the unusual? We think you’ll love our Red Navels, Honeybells, or Sol Zests.
