Optima Magazine

Perfectly packaged, wonderfully durable, the lemon is antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, anti-oxidant, bactericidal, diuretic, anti-scorbutic, astringent, febrifugal, anti-hypertensive, anti-fungal, insecticidal, immune-stimulant and anti-viral – and great in gin and tonic. Oh, yes... and it contains pips.

Jill Glenn wonders if this is news…

I didn’t know whether to be more amused or shocked when I saw the words ‘Warning: may contain pips’ on a net of lemons. As a health and safety message it’s almost as ridiculous as ‘Allergy advice: contains nuts’ on a jar of peanut butter. Not that I’m suggesting that allergy advice itself is ridiculous, of course… it’s just the stating of the obvious and the reduction of any need for consumers to think for themselves that riles me.

Do lemon importers really fear litigation if they don’t advise the end-user that this fruit – grown and used in Europe since the 12th century – might have seeds? Do they genuinely think that there’s a serious choking risk? Just to check that there wasn’t an epidemic of lemon-pip related incidents that I’d somehow overlooked, I Googled ‘choke’ and ‘lemon’… and most of the results were on the lines of ‘how to prepare an artichoke’ (steamed with lemon sauce, apparently), so it’s evident that choking on a pip is not a common domestic hazard.

Or is it that retailers – in this age of fast foods and instant fixes – believe us to be so unfamiliar with the inside of a lemon that we might think that there’s something wrong with it if we were to find a pip or two while preparing a G&T or garnishing a Vodka Martini?

If so, that’s pretty sad. Lemons have a long and honourable history, and a place in almost all the world’s cuisines. If we recognise nothing else we should recognise these. Originating most probably in South East Asia, they arrived in Europe in pip form – ironically – in the knapsacks of Crusaders returning home from Palestine. Christopher Columbus took them across the Atlantic to Haiti; St Francis of Assissi planted them on the shores of Lake Garda. There are around 50 different varieties, some more acidic than others, with fabulous names such as Eureka, Fino and Verna… but we just buy them as ‘lemons’.

For a daily detox (especially good for preventing scurvy…), squeeze half a lemon into a glass, top up with water – hot or cold, according to preference – and drink before breakfast. Just remember to flick the pips out first.

The Taste Of An Old-fashioned Summer…

Many recipes for old-fashioned lemonade – a simple home-made drink enjoyed countrywide before the suffix ‘-ade’ came to signify a carbonated, mass-produced chemical concoction – include citric or tartaric acid, or both. This recipe has just three basic ingredients, however, and creates a tangy lemony syrup that can be kept in the refrigerator for two to three weeks. Dilute with still or sparkling water to taste, and garnish with fresh mint to serve.

Ingredients: 350ml sugar • 350ml water • grated zest of one lemon, preferably unwaxed • 350ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method: Put the sugar, water and lemon zest into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and stir constantly for five minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Add the lemon juice and stir. Pour this lemon syrup into a jar, cover tightly with a lid, and store in the fridge.