Lemon

{{pp-vand|small=yes}} {{About|the fruit}} {{Redirect|Lemons|the surname|Lemons (surname)}} {{Distinguish|Iemon}} {{good article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}} {{Use American English|date=October 2024}} {{Speciesbox |name = Lemon |image = P1030323.JPG |image_caption = A fruiting lemon tree (blossom visible) |genus = Citrus |species = × limon |authority = (L.) Osbeck |synonyms_ref = <ref name=WFO>{{cite web |title=''Citrus limon'' (L.) Osbeck |url=http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0001133139 |date=2022 |website=World Flora Online |access-date=23 Jul 2022 |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314054240/https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0001133139 |url-status=live }}</ref> |synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true |''Citrus'' × ''aurantium'' subsp. ''bergamia'' (Risso & Poit.) Engl. |''Citrus'' ''aurantium'' subsp. ''bergamia'' (Risso) Wight & Arn. |''Citrus'' ''aurantium'' var. ''bergamia'' (Risso) Brandis |''Citrus'' × ''aurantium'' var. ''mellarosa'' (Risso) Engl. |''Citrus'' × ''bergamia'' Risso & Poit. |''Citrus'' × ''bergamia'' subsp. ''mellarosa'' (Risso) D.Rivera & al. |''Citrus'' × ''bergamota'' Raf. |''Citrus'' × ''limodulcis'' D.Rivera, Obón & F.Méndez |''Citrus'' × ''limonelloides'' Hayata |''Citrus'' × ''limonia'' Osbeck |''Citrus'' × ''limonia'' var. ''digitata'' Risso |''Citrus'' × ''limonum'' Risso |''Citrus'' ''medica'' var. ''limon'' L. |''Citrus'' ''medica'' f. ''limon'' (L.) M.Hiroe |''Citrus'' ''medica'' f. ''limon'' (L.) Hiroë |''Citrus'' ''medica'' subsp. ''limonia'' (Risso) Hook. f. |''Citrus'' × ''medica'' var. ''limonum'' (Risso) Brandis |''Citrus'' × ''medica'' subsp. ''limonum'' (Risso) Engl. |''Citrus'' ''medica'' var. ''limonum'' (Risso) Brandis |''Citrus'' × ''mellarosa'' Risso |''Citrus'' × ''meyeri'' Yu.Tanaka |''Citrus'' × ''vulgaris'' Ferrarius ex Mill. |''Limon'' × ''vulgaris'' Ferrarius ex Miller }} }} The '''lemon''' ('''''Citrus'' × ''limon''''') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some evidence suggests lemons originated during the 1st millennium BC in what is now northeastern India. Some other citrus fruits are called ''lemon''.

The yellow fruit of the lemon tree is used throughout the world, primarily for its juice. The pulp and rind are used in cooking and baking. The juice of the lemon is about 5–6% citric acid, giving it a sour taste. This makes it a key ingredient in drinks and foods such as lemonade and lemon meringue pie.

In 2024, world production was 23 million tonnes, led by India and Mexico with 31% of the total.

== Description ==

The lemon tree produces a pointed oval yellow fruit. Botanically this is a hesperidium, a modified berry with a tough, leathery rind. The rind is divided into an outer colored layer or zest, which is aromatic with essential oils, and an inner layer of white spongy pith. Inside are multiple carpels arranged as radial segments. The seeds develop inside the carpels. The space inside each segment is a locule filled with juice vesicles.<ref name="Ortiz 2002">{{cite book |last1=Ortiz |first1=Jesus M. |editor1-last=Di Giacomo |editor1-first=Angelo |editor2-last=Dugo |editor2-first=Giovanni |title=Citrus: The Genus ''Citrus'' |date=2002 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-2032-1661-3 |pages=25–26, 29–30 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OLaykfpqSaYC&dq=Citrus+genus&pg=PP1 |chapter=Botany: taxonomy, morphology and physiology of fruits, leaves and flowers }}</ref>

Lemons contain many phytochemicals, including polyphenols, terpenes, and tannins.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rauf |first1=Abdur |last2=Uddin |first2=Ghias |last3=Ali | first3=Jawad |year=2014 |title=Phytochemical analysis and radical scavenging profile of juices of ''Citrus sinensis'', ''Citrus aurantifolia'', and ''Citrus limonum'' |journal=Org Med Chem Lett |volume=4 |page=5 |doi=10.1186/2191-2858-4-5 |pmc=4091952 |pmid=25024932 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Their juice contains slightly more citric acid than lime juice (about 47 g/L), nearly twice as much as grapefruit juice, and about five times as much as orange juice.<ref name=Penniston>{{cite journal |last1=Penniston |first1=Kristina L. |last2=Nakada |first2=Stephen Y. |last3=Holmes |first3=Ross P. |last4=Assimos |first4=Dean G. |title=Quantitative Assessment of Citric Acid in Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, and Commercially-Available Fruit Juice Products |journal=Journal of Endourology |publisher=Mary Ann Liebert |volume=22 |issue=3 |year=2008 |doi=10.1089/end.2007.0304 |doi-access=free |pages=567–570|pmid=18290732 |pmc=2637791 }}</ref>

{{gallery|mode=packed |Lemon-citrus limon seedling.jpg|Lemon seedling |Citrus limon - Lemon tree - Limonero - Limoeiro.JPG|Full-sized tree |Flowers blossoms.jpg|Flower |P2101990,lemon.jpg|Mature lemons }}

== Origins ==

The lemon, like many other cultivated ''Citrus'' species, is a hybrid, in its case of the citron and the bitter orange.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Klein |first1=Joshua D. |volume=2 |pages=199–214 |doi=10.1007/978-94-017-9276-9_10 |series=Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World |year=2014 |title=Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the Middle-East |isbn=978-94-017-9275-2 |chapter=Citron Cultivation, Production and Uses in the Mediterranean Region}}</ref><ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018">{{cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Guohong Albert |last2=Terol |first2=Javier |last3=Ibanez |first3=Victoria |last4=López-García |first4=Antonio |last5=Pérez-Román |first5=Estela |last6=Borredá |first6=Carles |last7=Domingo |first7=Concha |last8=Tadeo |first8=Francisco R. |last9=Carbonell-Caballero |first9=Jose |last10=Alonso |first10=Roberto |last11=Curk |first11=Franck |last12=Du |first12=Dongliang |last13=Ollitrault |first13=Patrick |last14=Roose |first14=Mikeal L. Roose |last15=Dopazo |first15=Joaquin |last16=Gmitter Jr |first16=Frederick G. |last17=Rokhsar |first17=Daniel |last18=Talon |first18=Manuel |display-authors=5 |title=Genomics of the origin and evolution of ''Citrus'' |journal=Nature |year=2018 |volume=554 |issue=7692 |pages=311–316 |doi=10.1038/nature25447 |pmid=29414943 |bibcode=2018Natur.554..311W |doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.11939/5741 |hdl-access=free}} and Supplement</ref>

[[File:Hybrid origins of orange.svg|thumb|center|upright=2|The lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange.<ref name="Wu Terol Ibanez 2018"/>]]

[[File:Citrus x limon - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-041.jpg|thumb|upright|Taxonomic illustration by Franz Eugen Köhler, 1897 ]]

Lemons were most likely first grown in northwest India.<ref name="morton"/> The origin of the word ''lemon'' may be Middle Eastern.<ref name="morton">{{cite web |last=Morton |first=Julia F. |title=Lemon in Fruits of Warm Climates |year=1987 |pages=160–168 |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/lemon.html#Description |publisher=Purdue University |access-date=December 18, 2007 |archive-date=November 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191126031859/https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/lemon.html#Description |url-status=live}}</ref> The word draws from the Old French ''limon'', then Italian ''limone'', from the Arabic {{lang|ar|ليمون}} ''laymūn'' or ''līmūn'', and from the Persian {{lang|fa|لیمو}} ''līmūn'', a generic term for citrus fruit, which is a cognate of Sanskrit (''nimbū'', 'lime').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lemon |title=Online Etymology Dictionary |last=Harper |first=Douglas |access-date=May 13, 2012 |archive-date=August 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806050048/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lemon |url-status=live}}</ref>

Lemons entered Europe near southern Italy no later than the second century AD, during the time of Ancient Rome.<ref name="morton" /> They were later introduced to Persia and then to Iraq and Egypt around 700 AD.<ref name="morton"/> The lemon was first recorded in literature in a 10th-century Arabic treatise on farming; it was used as an ornamental plant in early Islamic gardens.<ref name="morton" /> It was distributed widely throughout the Arab world and the Mediterranean region in the Arab Agricultural Revolution between 1000 and 1150.<ref name="morton"/> A section on lemon and lime tree cultivation in Andalusia, Spain, was included in Ibn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work, {{lang|ar|Kitāb al-Filāha}} ("Book on Agriculture").<ref>{{cite book |last=Ibn al-'Awwām |first=Yaḥyá ibn Muḥammad |url=https://archive.org/details/lelivredelagric00algoog |title=Le livre de l'agriculture d'Ibn-al-Awam (kitab-al-felahah) |trans-title=The Book of Agriculture by Ibn al-'Awwām |translator-last=Clément-Mullet |translator-first=Jean Jacques |date=1864 |publisher= A. Franck |location=Paris |via=University of California library |pages=300–301 |chapter=Chapter 7, Article 32 |language=fr |oclc=780050566 |author-link=Ibn al-'Awwam}}</ref> The first substantial cultivation of lemons in Europe began in Genoa in the middle of the 15th century. It was introduced to the Americas in 1493, when Christopher Columbus brought lemon seeds to Hispaniola on his voyages. Spanish conquest throughout the New World helped spread lemon seeds, part of the Columbian exchange of plants between the Old and New Worlds. It was mainly used as an ornamental plant and for medicine.<ref name="morton" /> In the 19th century, lemons were increasingly planted in Florida and California.<ref name="morton" /> In 1747, the English physician James Lind's experiments on seamen suffering from scurvy involved adding lemon juice to their diets, though vitamin C was not yet known as an important dietary ingredient.<ref name="morton" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Lind |first=James |author-link=James Lind (physician) |title=A treatise on the scurvy |edition=Second |publisher=A. Millar |year=1757 |place=London}}</ref>

== Cultivation ==

=== Growing and pruning ===

Lemons need a minimum temperature of around {{convert|7|C|F}}, so they are not hardy year-round in temperate climates, but become hardier as they mature.<ref name="rhs">{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/fruit/citrus |title=Citrus |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |date=2017 |access-date=19 April 2017 |archive-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420235304/https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/fruit/citrus |url-status= live}}</ref> Citrus require minimal pruning by trimming overcrowded branches, with the tallest branch cut back to encourage bushy growth.<ref name="rhs" /> Throughout summer, pinching back tips of the most vigorous growth assures more abundant canopy development. As mature plants may produce unwanted, fast-growing shoots (called "water shoots"), these are removed from the main branches at the bottom or middle of the plant.<ref name="rhs"/> There is reputed merit in the tradition of urinating near a lemon tree.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Capomolla |first1=Fabian |last2=Pember |first2=Matthew |chapter=Lemon |title =The Little Veggie Patch Co. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1w2jBgAAQBAJ |location=Sydney, New South Wales |publisher=Plum |date=2011 |page=129 |isbn=9781742628417 |access-date=2020-04-27 |quote=Urinating around a lemon tree provides a tonic of water, salt and minerals, much like that of an organic fertiliser |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314054347/https://books.google.com/books?id=1w2jBgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Capomolla |first1=Fabian |title=Growing Food the Italian Way |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J5MtDwAAQBAJ |series=The Hungry Gardener |publisher=Plum |date=2017 |page=168 |isbn=9781760554903 |access-date=2020-04-27 |quote=Yes, it is true - urinating on the soil around a lemon tree is beneficial to the plant. Just don't overdo it, as that can be detrimental. |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314054242/https://books.google.com/books?id=J5MtDwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In cultivation in the UK, the cultivars "Meyer"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/29386/i-Citrus-i-%C3%97-i-limon-i-Meyer-%28F%29/Details |title=RHS Plantfinder - Citrus × limon 'Meyer' |access-date=30 January 2018 |archive-date=January 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104072437/https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/29386/i-Citrus-i-%C3%97-i-limon-i-Meyer-(F)/Details |url-status=live}}</ref> and "Variegata"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90013/i-Citrus-i-%C3%97-i-limon-i-Variegata-%28F-v%29/Details |title=RHS Plantfinder - Citrus × limon 'Variegata' |access-date=30 January 2018 |archive-date=December 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230095752/https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90013/i-Citrus-i-%C3%97-i-limon-i-Variegata-(F-v)/Details |url-status=live}}</ref> have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf |title=AGM Plants - Ornamental |date=July 2017 |page=20 |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-date=January 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105180412/https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Production === {| class="wikitable floatright" style="width:12em; text-align:center;" |+ Production of lemons and limes {{small|2024, millions of tonnes}} |- | {{IND}} || 3.8 |- | {{MEX}} || 3.3 |- | {{CHN}} || 2.3 |- | {{ARG}} || 2.2 |- | {{BRA}} || 1.7 |- | {{TUR}} || 1.7 |- |- style="background:#ccc;" |'''World''' || '''23.2''' |- | colspan="2" |{{small|Source: FAOSTAT of the United Nations}}<ref name="faostat">{{cite web |date=2026 |title=World production of lemons and limes in 2024; Crops/Regions/World/Production Quantity/Year from pick lists |url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL |access-date=22 January 2026 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Statistics Division (FAOSTAT)}}</ref> |}

In 2024, world production of lemons (together with limes for reporting) was 23 million tonnes, led by India and Mexico with 31% of the total when combined (table). China and Argentina were secondary producers.

=== Varieties ===

The 'Bonnie Brae' is oblong, smooth, thin-skinned, and seedless.<ref>{{cite book |title=The orange: its culture in California |last=Spalding |first=William A. |year=1885 |publisher=Press and Horticulturist Steam Print |location=Riverside, California |page=[https://archive.org/details/orangeitsculture00spalrich/page/88 88] |url=https://archive.org/details/orangeitsculture00spalrich |quote=Bonnie Brae lemon. |access-date=March 2, 2012 }}</ref> These are mostly grown in San Diego County, California, United States.<ref>{{cite book |title=Rational Diet: An Advanced Treatise on the Food Question |last=Carque |first=Otto |orig-year=1923 |year=2006 |publisher=Kessinger Publishing |location=Los Angeles, California |isbn=978-1-4286-4244-7 |page=195 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zDjmYpZGh_4C&q=Bonnie%20Brae%20lemon&pg=PA195 |access-date=March 2, 2012 |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314054303/https://books.google.com/books?id=zDjmYpZGh_4C&q=Bonnie%20Brae%20lemon&pg=PA195 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The 'Eureka' grows year-round and abundantly. This is the common supermarket lemon, also known as "Four Seasons" (''Quatre Saisons'') because of its ability to produce fruit and flowers together throughout the year. The variety developed in California in the 19th Century from specimens brought to California during the Gold Rush by immigrants from Naples and Sicily.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beall |first=John |date=March 22, 2026 |title=Specialty Citrus in California: Beyond the Navel Orange |url=https://oldcaliforniabotanicals.com/blogs/news/specialty-citrus-in-california-beyond-the-navel-orange?_pos=3&_sid=c8c65e618&_ss=r |website=Old California Botanicals}}</ref> This variety is also available as a plant for domestic customers.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ursula |last=Buchan |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3325753/Kitchen-garden-lemon-tree.html |title=Kitchen garden: lemon tree |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=January 22, 2005 |access-date=January 24, 2014 |location=London |archive-date=March 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313175245/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3325753/Kitchen-garden-lemon-tree.html |url-status=live }}</ref> There is also a pink-fleshed Eureka lemon with a green and yellow variegated outer skin.<ref>[http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/variegatedpink.html Variegated pink] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201043411/http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/variegatedpink.html|date=December 1, 2017}} at the Citrus Variety Collection.</ref>

The Lisbon lemon is very similar to the Eureka and is the other common supermarket lemon. It is smoother than the Eureka, has thinner skin, and has fewer or no seeds. It generally produces more juice than the Eureka and was brought to California by Portuguese immigrants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=frostlisbon |url=https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/frostlisbon.html |access-date=2020-09-27 |website=citrusvariety.ucr.edu |archive-date=November 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106131123/https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/frostlisbon.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2007-02-01 |title=Eureka Lemon and Lisbon Lemon: Kitchen Basics |url=https://harvesttotable.com/eureka_lemon_and_lisbon_lemon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106014024/https://harvesttotable.com/eureka_lemon_and_lisbon_lemon/ |archive-date=November 6, 2020 |access-date=2020-09-27 |website=Harvest to Table |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Beall |first=John |date=March 22, 2026 |title=Specialty Citrus in California: Beyond the Navel Orange |url=https://oldcaliforniabotanicals.com/blogs/news/specialty-citrus-in-california-beyond-the-navel-orange?_pos=3&_sid=c8c65e618&_ss=r |website=Old California Botanicals}}</ref>

The 'Femminello St. Teresa', or 'Sorrento' originates in Italy. This fruit's zest is high in lemon oils. It is the variety traditionally used in the making of ''limoncello''.<ref name="latimes">{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/features/la-fo-limoncello8sep08,0,771590.story |title=Taste of a thousand lemons |work=Los Angeles Times |date=September 8, 2004 |access-date=November 21, 2011 |archive-date=December 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222145004/http://www.latimes.com/features/la-fo-limoncello8sep08,0,771590.story |url-status=live }}</ref>

The 'Yen Ben' is an Australasian cultivar.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu/ben/citrus/misc/new_zealand.htm |title=New Zealand Citrus |publisher=University of California Davis |access-date=June 13, 2010 |archive-date=June 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610054722/http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu/ben/citrus/misc/new_zealand.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Uses ==

=== Nutrition ===

{{nutritional value | name=Lemon, raw, without peel | water=89 g | kcal=29 | protein=1.1 g | fat=0.3 g | carbs=9.32 g | fiber=2.8 g | sugars=2.5 g | calcium_mg=26 | iron_mg=0.6 | magnesium_mg=8 | phosphorus_mg=16 | potassium_mg=138 | zinc_mg=0.06 | manganese_mg=0.03 | vitC_mg=53 | thiamin_mg=0.04 | riboflavin_mg=0.02 | niacin_mg=0.1 | pantothenic_mg=0.19 | vitB6_mg=0.08 | folate_ug=11 | note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/167746/nutrients Full Link to USDA FoodData Central entry] }} A raw lemon (without peel) is 89% water, 9% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contains negligible fat (table). In a reference amount of {{cvt|100|g}}, raw lemon supplies 29 calories and is a rich source of vitamin C, providing 59% of the Daily Value, with other micronutrients low in content (table).

=== Culinary ===

Lemon juice and rind are used in a wide variety of foods and drinks, the juice for its sour taste, from its content of 5–6% citric acid.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pkzx2TeYYT8C&pg=RA3-PA663 |title=Comprehensive Natural Products II: Chemistry and Biology |publisher=Elsevier |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-08045382-8 |page=663 |access-date=August 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004113941/https://books.google.com/books?id=pkzx2TeYYT8C&pg=RA3-PA663 |archive-date=October 4, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> The whole lemon is used to make marmalade,<ref>{{cite web |title=Lemon marmalade |url=https://www.bbcgoodfoodme.com/recipes/lemon-marmalade/ |access-date=26 October 2024 |website=BBC Good Food - Middle East |publisher=}}</ref> lemon curd<ref>{{cite web |title=Lemon curd |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lemon_curd_68499 |access-date=2015-01-08 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> and lemon liqueurs such as Limoncello.<ref>{{cite news |author=Perry, Charles |url=http://www.latimes.com/features/la-fo-limoncello8sep08,0,771590.story |title=Taste of a thousand lemons |work=Los Angeles Times |date=September 8, 2004 |access-date=10 April 2012}}</ref> Lemon slices and lemon rind are used as a garnish for food and drinks. Lemon zest, the grated outer rind of the fruit, is used to add flavor to baked goods.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Arora |first1=Riya |title=10 ways to use lemon zest in cooking |url=https://recipes.timesofindia.com/web-stories/10-ways-to-use-lemon-zest-in-cooking/photostory/112253623.cms |work=Times of India |access-date=26 October 2024 |date=5 August 2024}}</ref> The juice is used to make lemonade<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Lemonade |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/history-of-lemonade |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=27 October 2024 |website=Atlas Obscura|date=April 17, 2023 }}</ref> and some cocktails.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nice |first1=Miriam |title=Lemon drop |url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/lemon-drop |publisher=BBC |access-date=26 October 2024}}</ref>

It is used in marinades for fish, where its acid neutralizes amines in fish.<ref>{{cite web |title=Is Fish Smelly? |work=American Society for Nutrition |url=https://nutrition.org/is-fish-smelly/ |access-date=26 October 2024 |date=24 August 2021}}</ref> In meat, the acid partially hydrolyzes tough collagen fibers, tenderizing it.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fruit enzymes tenderise meat |url=https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1945-fruit-enzymes-tenderise-meat |access-date=2020-05-14 |website=Science Learning Hub |archive-date=May 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523160625/https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1945-fruit-enzymes-tenderise-meat |url-status=live }}</ref> In the United Kingdom, lemon juice is frequently added to pancakes eaten to celebrate Shrove Tuesday.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mary Berry's three-ingredient pancake recipe for Shrove Tuesday 2023 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/mary-berry-pancake-recipe-shrove-tuesday-b2286284.html |access-date=26 October 2024 |work=The Independent |date=21 February 2023}}</ref> Lemon juice is used as a short-term preservative on certain foods that tend to oxidize and turn brown after being sliced (enzymatic browning), such as apples, bananas, and avocados: its acidity suppresses oxidation by polyphenol oxidase enzymes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fruit and vegetables: enzymic browning |date=May 15, 2017 |url=https://www.ifst.org/lovefoodlovescience/resources/fruit-and-vegetables-enzymic-browning |publisher=Institute of Food Science and Technology |access-date=21 October 2024}}</ref>

Lemon peel is used in the manufacture of pectin, a gelling agent and stabilizer in food and other products.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dimopoulou |first1=Maria |last2=Alba |first2=Katerina |last3=Campbell |first3=Grant |last4=Kontogiorgos |first4=Vassilis |date=2019-11-01 |title=Pectin recovery and characterization from lemon juice waste streams |journal=Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture |volume=99 |issue=14 |pages=6191–6198 |bibcode=2019JSFA...99.6191D |doi=10.1002/jsfa.9891 |pmid=31250441 |s2cid=195760607}}</ref> In Mediterranean countries including Morocco, lemons are preserved in jars or barrels of salt. The salt penetrates the peel and rind, softening them, and curing them so that they last almost indefinitely.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moskin |first=Julia |title=Preserved Lemons Recipe |url=https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016212-preserved-lemons |access-date=2020-05-14 |website=NYT Cooking |archive-date=May 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513224940/https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016212-preserved-lemons |url-status=live }}</ref>

Lemon oil is extracted from oil-containing cells in the skin. A machine breaks up the cells and uses a water spray to flush off the oil. The oil–water mixture is then filtered and separated by centrifugation.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tranchida |first=Peter Quinto |title=Citrus Oils |pages=482–516 |year=2010 |chapter=Advanced Analytical Techniques for the Analysis of Citrus Oils |publisher=CRC Press |doi=10.1201/b10314-16 |isbn=978-1-4398-0029-4}}</ref>

The leaves of the lemon tree are used to make a tea and for preparing cooked meats and seafoods.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lemon leaves and their unique culinary usage |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/are-lemon-leaves-as-good-as-lemons-all-about-lemon-leaves-and-their-uses/articleshow/112719567.cms |work=The Times of India |date=22 August 2024}}</ref>

<gallery mode=packed heights=140> File:Salmon roll sushi with lemon garnish, September 2008.jpg|Lemon as a garnish File:Oysters served on ice, with lemon and parsley.jpg|Oysters with lemon File:Tenglong Chinese Restaurant Lemon Chicken (37577556406).jpg|Lemon chicken File:A Lemon Meringue Tart.jpg|Lemon meringue pie File:Lemonade - 27682817724.jpg|Lemonade File:Limoncello ready for drinking! (5585765455).jpg|Limoncello liqueur </gallery>

=== Other uses ===

Lemons were the primary commercial source of citric acid before the development of fermentation-based processes.<ref name="Hofrichter2010">{{cite book |author=M. Hofrichter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=80XBNrGsIywC&pg=PA224 |title=Industrial Applications |publisher=Springer |year=2010 |isbn=978-3-642-11458-8 |page=224}}</ref> Lemon oil is used in aromatherapy. Lemon oil aroma does not influence the human immune system,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kiecolt-Glaser |first1=J. K. |last2=Graham |first2=J. E. |last3=Malarkey |first3=W. B. |last4=Porter |first4=K. |last5=Lemeshow |first5=S. |last6=Glaser |first6=R |year=2008 |title=Olfactory influences on mood and autonomic, endocrine, and immune function |journal=Psychoneuroendocrinology |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=328–39 |doi=10.1016/j.psyneuen.2007.11.015 |pmc=2278291 |pmid=18178322}}</ref> but may contribute to relaxation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cooke |first1=B. |last2=Ernst |first2=E. |year=2000 |title=Aromatherapy: A systematic review |journal=British Journal of General Practice |volume=50 |issue=455 |pages=493–6 |pmc=1313734 |pmid=10962794}}</ref> An educational science experiment involves attaching electrodes to a lemon and using it as a battery to produce electricity. Although very low power, several lemon batteries can power a small digital watch.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lemon Power |url=http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/lemon.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519151259/http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/lemon.html |archive-date=May 19, 2017 |access-date=December 7, 2014 |publisher=California Energy Commission}}</ref> Lemon juice forms a simple invisible ink, developed by heat.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mirsky |first=Steve |date=April 20, 2010 |title=Invisible Ink and More: The Science of Spying in the Revolutionary War |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/invisible-ink-and-other-science-of-10-04-20/ |access-date=October 15, 2016 |website=Scientific American |archive-date=October 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021094951/https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/invisible-ink-and-other-science-of-10-04-20/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Lemon juice is sometimes used to increase the blonde color of hair, acting as a natural highlight after the moistened hair is exposed to sunlight. This works because citric acid acts as bleach.<ref name="GLAMOUR">{{cite web |date=2020 |title=Here's how to lighten your hair at home with lemon juice (it actually works) |url=https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/lemon-juice-in-hair |access-date=16 Sep 2020 |website=Glamour UK |archive-date=September 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928151522/https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/lemon-juice-in-hair |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Klorane Labratories">{{cite web |date=2020 |title=Does lemon juice really lighten hair? |url=https://www.klorane.com/uk-en/feelgoodactgood/does-lemon-juice-really-lighten-hair |access-date=18 Sep 2020 |publisher=Klorane Laboratories |archive-date=January 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122155915/https://www.klorane.com/uk-en/feelgoodactgood/does-lemon-juice-really-lighten-hair |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Other citrus called 'lemons' ==

* Flat lemon, a mandarin hybrid<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Diversity of Citrus depressa Hayata (Shiikuwasha) revealed by DNA analysis|journal=Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution|volume=64|issue=4|pages=805–814|doi=10.1007/s10722-016-0403-2|year = 2017|last1 = Yamamoto|first1 = Masashi|last2=Takakura|first2=Akiko|last3=Tanabe|first3=Aika|last4=Teramoto|first4=Sayuri|last5=Kita|first5=Masayuki|bibcode=2017GRCEv..64..805Y |s2cid=35979614}}</ref> * Meyer lemon, a cross between a citron and a mandarin/pomelo hybrid distinct from sour or sweet orange<ref name="limes and lemons">{{cite journal | title=Phylogenetic origin of limes and lemons revealed by cytoplasmic and nuclear markers | last1=Curk | first1=Franck | last2=Ollitrault | first2= Frédérique | last3=Garcia-Lor | first3= Andres | last4=Luro | first4=François | last5=Navarro | first5=Luis | last6=Ollitrault | first6=Patrick | journal=Annals of Botany | volume=11 | pages=565–583 | year=2016 | issue=4 | doi=10.1093/aob/mcw005 | pmc=4817432 | pmid=26944784}}</ref> * Ponderosa lemon, more cold-sensitive than true lemons, the fruit are thick-skinned and very large. Genetic analysis showed it to be a complex hybrid of citron and pomelo.<ref name="limes and lemons"/> * Rough lemon, a citron-mandarin cross, cold-hardy and often used as a citrus rootstock<ref name="limes and lemons"/> * Sweet lemons or sweet limes, a mixed group including the lumia (pear lemon), limetta, and Palestinian sweet lime. Among them is the Jaffa lemon, a pomelo-citron hybrid.<ref name="limes and lemons"/> * Volkamer lemon, like the rough lemon, a citron-mandarin cross<ref name="limes and lemons"/>

== In art and culture ==

Lemons appear in paintings, pop art, and novels.<ref name="Reidy 2024"/> A wall painting in the tomb of Nakht in 15th century BC Egypt depicts a woman in a festival, holding a lemon. In the 17th century, Giovanna Garzoni painted a ''Still Life with Bowl of Citrons'', the fruits still attached to leafy flowering twigs, with a wasp on one of the fruits. The impressionist Edouard Manet depicted a lemon on a pewter plate. In modern art, Arshile Gorky painted ''Still Life with Lemons'' in the 1930s.<ref name="Reidy 2024">{{cite news |last=Reidy |first=Tess |title=The king of zing: lemons in art – in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2024/mar/23/the-king-of-zing-lemons-in-art-in-pictures |work=The Guardian |date=23 March 2024}}</ref>

In India, a lemon may be ritually encircled around a person in the belief that it repels negative energies.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Correct Method of Evil Eye Removal: A Guide to Clearing Negative Vibes |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/astrology/kundali-dasha-remedies/the-correct-method-of-evil-eye-removal-a-guide-to-clearing-negative-vibes/articleshow/113198618.cms |access-date=29 October 2024 |work=The Times of India |date=9 September 2024}}</ref> It is a common practice for Hindu owners of a new car to drive over four lemons, one under each wheel, crushing them during their first drive. This is believed to protect the driver from accidents.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Leslie |first=Julia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sKDm8EH2L3kC&dq=Lemon+ritual+India&pg=PA94 |title=Roles and Rituals for Hindu Women |date=1992 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |isbn=978-81-208-1036-5 |page=116}}</ref> Hindu deities are sometimes depicted with lemons in their iconography, representing the attribute of wealth or abundance.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Pal |first1=Pratapaditya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMUp4nxAqwwC&dq=lemon+Hindu+goddess&pg=PA41 |title=Divine Images, Human Visions: The Max Tanenbaum Collection of South Asian and Himalayan Art in the National Gallery of Canada |date=1997 |publisher=National Gallery of Canada |isbn=978-1-896209-05-0 |page=41}}</ref>

In 20th century American self-improvement culture, Dale Carnegie advised readers "If You Have a Lemon, Make a Lemonade", meaning to make the best of what you have. In the 21st century, a defective machine such as a car is called a lemon.<ref name="Huang 2021">{{cite web |last=Huang |first=Jean |title=When Life Gives You Lemons, It's a Status Symbol: On the Evolving Literary and Cultural History of Citrus |url=https://lithub.com/when-life-gives-you-lemons-its-a-status-symbol-on-the-evolving-literary-and-cultural-history-of-citrus/ |website=LitHub |access-date=20 October 2024 |date=1 October 2021}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=180 heights=140> File:Tomb of Nakht.jpg|Fresco in the Tomb of Nakht, woman with lemons, 15th century BC File:Jacob_Foppen_van_Es_-_Still_life_with_pitcher.jpg|''Still life with pitcher'', Jacob Foppens van Es, between 1617 and 1666 File:Giovanna Garzoni (Italian) - Still Life with Bowl of Citrons - Google Art Project.jpg|''Still Life with Bowl of Citrons'', Giovanna Garzoni, late 1640s File:Édouard Manet - Le citron.jpg|''Lemon'', Édouard Manet, 1880 File:Lemon by Arshile Gorky 1930s.jpg|''Still Life with Lemons'', Arshile Gorky, early 1930s </gallery>

== See also ==

* Limey – the original ration for British sailors was lemon juice * List of lemon dishes and drinks

== References ==

== External links == {{Cookbook}} * {{wiktionary-inline}} * {{Commons-inline}} * {{Wikispecies-inline|Citrus × limon}} * {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Lemon |volume=16 |pages=413–415 |ref=none |short=1}} (with illustrations)

Category:Lemons Category:Citrus hybrids Category:Cocktail garnishes Category:Fruit trees Category:Sour fruits Category:Plants with compound leaves