Eating Lemons
The Many Ways of Eating Lemons
Lemons are multi-purpose fruits; while few people indulge in eating lemons au natural, the different parts of the fruit are used in many ways. The lemon has many healthy benefits, so adding it to your diet will be a delicious plus nutritious treat.
The lemon is a citrus fruit with a sour taste due to its high content of citric acid: the main reason people aren’t fond of eating lemons. The fruit itself is made of up of acidic juice that is much prized as a refreshing drink when added to water and sugar, or used in recipes calling for an acid touch. Many recipes show fresh squeezed lemon juice as an added ingredient, while others, like lemon meringue pie, rely on it as a main ingredient. A good source of Vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, calcium, copper, zinc and iron, lemon juice is great for weight control, mouth wash, sore throats, a detoxifying element and more. A lemon detox recipe of fresh lemon juice, water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper is said to provide great liver and stomach benefits.
An outside tough and leathery skin, called the zest, serves as a protective covering for the fruit while ripening on the tree. The zest contains a rich essential oil, bursting with both fragrance and flavor although it is bitter in its natural state; making eating lemons whole an unappealing thought. When scraped using a microplane, grater or zester, tiny shreds of zest result that can be added to foods and sauces. These shreds are tiny explosions of flavor when added, so small amounts are all that are needed. Long thin slices of rind made by using a vegetable peeler can be transformed into simple syrup, candied for use as edible decoration to cakes and pies or, in a total different character, used in potpourris for its wonderfully fresh fragrance.
Eating lemons in their natural state would not only be quite unpleasant due to their bitterness but could also be detrimental to your health. Pure strength lemon juice wreaks havoc on tooth enamel because it can be considered a corrosive when undiluted. This is a lesson that children in the southwest are learning the hard way, as the practice of eating lemons is one that goes back many generations in that region. Nowadays, citrus powders are used by children instead of the actual fruit, an equally damaging act since the powders are often more concentrated than the lemon, and the result is such enamel damage that dental professionals are seeking a ban on the snack.
While eating lemons may not be considered to be the perfect snack, there is no doubt that they add a powerful punch with flavor and health benefits when added to drinks and foods. A valuable food source when the juice and zest is extracted, the lemon is highly prized in the culinary and medical world.