Lemons – History and Health Aid
Lemons
Lemons are small roundish-oval, thick-skinned yellow citrus fruit containing citric acid which is the sour-tasting molecule providing its tartness to your taste buds. It was first called limon by the French but for many years prior in Arabia and Persia it was a generic term for citrus fruit but in the 14th century it was known as lemon.
Lemons are widely thought to have first grown in India, Burma or 
China; yet again, I wouldn’t be surprised if they began in the Garden of Eden. They were known to the Jews in Jerusalem prior to the time of Jesus. Josephus recorded that the Jews pelted an errant high priest with them during a festival in the 90’s B.C. Crusaders returned from Palestine bringing lemons to the rest of Europe. Thanks to Christopher Columbus for bringing lemon seeds to Hispaniola and the New World.
There are at least 200 cultivars (distinct varieties) of lemons found somewhere in the United States. Of these varieties some of these are best used for lemon oil, for juice, and others things. The efforts of James Lind and his experiments in 1747 helped seamen recover from scurvy by adding lemon juice to their diets. At this time Vitamin C was not yet known, but Lind found how beneficial lemon juice was for both sailors and seamen. It was later learned that Vitamin C is needed for a healthy body and life.
LEMON PRODUCERS
Today the largest producer of lemons, as well as limes, is India, closely followed by Mexico; however, they are also grown in various locations in the United States (California, Arizona, and Florida). Most of the commercial crop of lemons is grown in Southern California which produces close to 90% of the annual US output. With that said, it is interesting to know that lemons now grow on every continent on Earth, except for Antarctica.
