Monday 2 March 2009

Lemon

By Charles Skyler

Lemon is a small, evergreen tree that produces flowers and fruits throughout the year, so that a single specimen has blossoms, green fruits and ripe yellow fruits at the same time. The structure of the lemon is best seen in a cross-section. Inside is a juicy pulp divided into as many as 15 sections, usually without seeds.

The pericarp is composed of two layers, a white, spongy inner layer (albedo) and an outer cover or rind (flavedo), coloured yellow when ripe and containing numerous large cells filled with the essential oil of lemon which gives the peel its characteristic smell.

About one-third of the world population has become addicted to this beverage which is not surprising, for not only does it have a pleasant flavour and aroma but also a mildly stimulating effect, apart from its importance as a social and cultural custom.

More commonly used is the grated peel of fresh lemons. It is recommended to use only the peel of lemons that have not been sprayed with chemical preparations (lemons are sometimes sprayed with fungicides to prevent rotting and decay during long-term transport and storage; these substances are usually poisonous not only to fungi but to man as well and cannot be removed even by thorough washing).

In Europe the extract from the nuts (Semen Colae) is used in pharmaceutical preparations and in soft drinks, also to flavour and colour certain wines, and as flavouring for creams, chocolate and liqueurs.

Roasting must be brief and rapid, only a few minutes at a temperature of 200C (616F), after which the coffee beans must be cooled fast to prevent the aromatic substances produced by the roasting process from evaporating. For the same reason coffee should he ground just before use

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