You may have noticed the Meyer lemon popping up in recipes lately – but just what differentiates this mysterious citrus fruit from ordinary varieties?
Know what happens when you cross-breed a lemon and a mandarin orange? You end up with a sweet, tart, juicy, fruity, aromatic Meyer lemon! So, just how did this delicious offspring come to be? It’s an interesting story, actually.
The Meyer lemon is thought to have originated in China, and was brought to the U.S. in the early 1900s by Frank Meyer, an agricultural explorer. While tasty, the fruit’s skin is mighty thin, making it difficult to transport and hindering its distribution across the country.
That is, until the likes of famous cooks like Alice Waters and Martha Stewart began touting its fruity goodness and including Meyer lemons in their recipes.
Now, many adventurous cooks use Meyer lemons in an array of dishes, from lemonade to roasts. You can even serve up a Meyer Limoncello cocktail if you’re in need of a springtime sipper.
Or replace plain old lemon juice with squeezings from the Meyer lemon in recipes like this sweet Lemon Drop Cake or these So-Easy Lemon Bars.
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