The Meyer Lemon

I made a quick trip to Whole Foods Market yesterday and, while in the produce section, I happened to notice what I first thought was an orange, but then realized was a lemon, a Meyer lemon, to be exact.  According to Wikipedia:

The Meyer lemon (Citrus × meyeri) is a citrus fruit native to China thought to be a cross between a true lemon and either a mandarin or common orange. It was introduced to the United States in 1908 as S.P.I. #23028^[1] by the agricultural explorer Frank Nicholas Meyer, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture who collected a sample of the plant on a trip to China.^[2]

The Meyer Lemon

Having heard of, but never having actually tasted, one (at least that I am aware of), I purchased a few.  I cut a wedge, sniffed, then took a bite.  It smelled and tasted of lemon and orange.  It was both tart and sweet.  It was… unexpected.  I squeezed the lemon, and drizzled some olive oil, on a spinach salad with salmon, tomato, and red onion (citrus helps with the absorption of iron in the spinach).  I’ll do it again.  Lemons, along with the other citrus fruits, have significant health benefits.

So, what’s the best way to take advantage of the unusual qualities?  SheKnows.com has an excellent article on the lemon, which includes the Top 20 Uses for Meyer Lemons:  infuse olive oil with Meyer lemon juice and use for dipping bread; make a Meyer lemon martini; try chocolate Meyer lemon pudding; and roast potatoes with thick Meyer lemons wedges on top.

They have a great recipe for Meyer Lemon Risotto.  And I found two recipes for Meyer lemon cake.  One from Saveur, claiming to be The Best Damn Meyer Lemon Cake.  I have to admit, the use of butter, dried bread crumbs, and blanched almonds has me curious.  Then there’s the recipe from Epicurious, Meyer Lemon Cake with Lavender Cream, that sounds divine.

If you’ve got access to Meyer lemons, you might want to give them a try.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

Eat well.