Limes and lemons are often misunderstood in this country and not infrequently abused – as with the limoncello served with the bill at Italian restaurants or the disco caipirinha crushed in a plastic cup. Otherwise, citrus fruits have long lived a wallflower existence as a home remedy for respiratory diseases or as a garnish for cocktails, long drinks and Wiener Schnitzel.
After all, there was a wonderful lemon ice cream in the Italian ice cream parlor early on, in which sweetness and acidity were perfectly balanced. And that is exactly what the culinary use of the lemon and its little sister, the lime, are all about. Lemons are a bit sweeter because they have a lower degree of acidity and a higher sugar content, while the lime tastes more intense, which is why Asian and Latin American cuisine mainly works with limes, while Italian cuisine in particular tends to use lemons. No wonder, since the Italians have one of the best condiments of all, the intensely flavored Amalfi lemon. Not only is it larger than a conventional lemon, but also a lot sweeter, its pectin is less bitter. Therefore, when preparing sauces according to Italian recipes, one should always use Amalfi lemons.
We are the only ones who are still hesitant to use them at home
Which, by the way, were almost wiped out because the Germans who advanced into Italy in the 5th century did not like lemon cultivation and allowed the plantations to rot. It was not until the Arabs began to grow them again on a large scale from the 9th century. Lemons originally came from northern India and limes from Malaysia. Both reached Europe via Persia and only from there to Latin America, Florida and California, although the lemon is a lot older. In the Mediterranean area, 4000-year-old lemon seeds were found, while the lime has only been around since 400 BC. B.C. in southern Europe, where it has long been used in a variety of ways between Portugal and Greece. Just as countless dishes around the world are refined with citrus aromas – only we are still hesitant to use it on the stove at home.
Lemons and limes give almost all recipes the decisive whistle. Only with the potato do they alienate a little, otherwise you should use a dash of juice, a few zest or some peel abrasion with lamb, veal, poultry and fish dishes, with vegetables and salad as well as salt and pepper. The only fly in the ointment is that we almost exclusively sell the dark green Persian limes, while the key limes – which are lighter, yellower, slightly more acidic and aromatic – are almost impossible to find anywhere. Which is why you have to make do with substitute products for the famous Key Lime Pie, because the original Graham crackers are also relatively unknown in this country. Nevertheless, we recommend a European variant for hot summer days.
We fight a possible hangover the next morning with a glass of lemon water
For the base we crumble 200g wholemeal butter biscuits, mix them with 100g melted butter and 30g brown sugar. We spread this mass in a tart pan (24 cm) and build a two centimeter high edge. Place the mold in the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes while we mix the filling from 400 g sweetened condensed milk, 60 g sour cream, 2 egg yolks and 100 ml lime juice as well as 1 teaspoon zest. This is placed on the cooled base and baked at 180 degrees for almost half an hour. Cool the pie, the filling of which should still be wobbly, garnish with lime zest and a few dabs of cream, if you like, and then let it set in the fridge for at least five hours.
So that nothing goes to waste, we use the leftover egg whites for two mild tequila sours made from 10 cl tequila and 4 cl lime juice and sugar syrup, which we mix with ice in a shaker. We fight a possible hangover the next morning with a glass of lemon water.