Bitter Sweet

THE GNARLY CITRON LOOKS LIKE A ROUGH FIRST DRAFT FOR A LEMON, BUT WHILE ITS FLESH IS TART, ITS PITH IS SURPRISINGLY SWEET

- Jennifer Stackhouse

The citron is part of the huge citrus family but it isn’t grown for its good looks — or even its flavour. It’s a bumpy lemon yellow fruit with thick rind and pith in comparison to its small amount of flesh.

The fruit, which is produced mainly in late winter and early spring, is about the size of an orange or small grapefruit. It’s believed to be an ancestor of the lemon. (Indeed, its English name means “lemon” in most other European languages.)