A Celebration of Citron

 “It looks like the beginning of an idea about fruit, a rough prototype made at an early stage of the design process, a crude unfinished thing, a dinosaur that evaded extinction, a Neanderthal on a tree.”

That is how Helena Attlee describes the Citron in her amazing book, The Land Where Lemons Grow, a unique culinary adventure through Italian citrus history. My first experience of the fruit was one of amazed bewilderment. Apart from being enormous, the fruit resembles a kind of citrus, but it appears more ancient. Looking at the bowl of Citrons on the dining room table I was reminded of the fruit’s rich history. It was like having a bowl of history on the table. The heady fragrance of the Citrons filled the room and soon permeated through the rest of the house. 

But, I am getting ahead of myself. The bowl of history landed on the table through the generosity of a friend who has access to a Citron tree on a family farm at Swellendam. Apart from the history of the fruit, I was gifted with the agricultural history of Swellendam and the region at the same time.

Orange and lemon trees were introduced to the Cape in 1654 from St Helena and planted in the Cape Town Company Gardens, but the history of how and when the Citron itself came to South Africa is not very clear.  It was possibly brought to the Cape for domestic culinary reasons. There is enough evidence that Citron preserve was made at the Cape in the 1700’s and possibly before that. In her cookbook, Hilda’s “Where is It” of Recipes, published in 1891, Hildagonda Duckitt records a Citron Preserve recipe from her grandmother’s recipe book. I trust it would be her maternal grandmother, Maria Catharina Persoon, 1760 – 8 June 1834. I muse that she in turn might have inherited it from her grandmother, Margaretha Hattingh, 1700 – 8 April 1779.

Still Life with Bowl of Citrons, Giovanna Garzoni, 1640

To discover that Hildagonda Duckitt was my fifth cousin, twice removed, was a pleasant surprise. Searching for the origins of traditional recipes took me back to my own origins and gave me more to chew on than just Citron preserve.

The historical culinary author, A G, Hewitt does not indicate the origin of the citron preserve recipe that she recorded in Cape Cookery: Simple Yet Distinctive, 1890.

With a generous number of Citrons in the house, I set out on a discovery of how to use this great- great grandfather of all citrus fruit. In the book, The Land Where Lemons Grow, Helena Attlee explores the colourful past of six different kinds of Italian citrus and their contribution to the history of Italy. One of these is the arrival of Citrons in second century Calabria.

Mosaics dating back to the  4th century AD, at Villa Romana del Casale, depicting citrons 

The chapter on the Citron explores its culinary uses and the pursuit of the perfect Citron by Jewish people for use in a religious ritual celebrating the holiday of Sukkot. During this harvest festival the etrog (Citron) is the centerpiece of the tradition. Some devout buyers will even pay thousands of dollars (US) for a single perfect specimen.

A citron next to a matchbox for size comparison

Inspired, I decided that I wanted to make as many dishes as possible with the Citrons,  using every part of it from the rind to the pith and the flesh. I made Cedrello, a liqueur made by infusing the peel and zest of the Citron fruit in alcohol. I used the pith to make Citron preserve, candied Citron peel, and Insalata di Cedro. With the centre fruit part, I made a Citron syrup that can be topped up with sparkling water to make the refreshing drink Cedrata.

Towerwater Cedrello

It is truly amazing what one can make with Citron, and I have not yet explored all the savoury dishes for which one might use the pith. But that will have to wait until next Citron season. Marveling at all the produce that I could make from Citron, I still detect the bright, crisp citrus fragrance of the Citron, with its additional notes of subtle floral, herbal, and even slightly bitter undertones, lingering in the rooms of Towerwater.

Citron Recipes

Citron Preserve
Candied Citron Peel
Cedrata - Citron Syrup

Cedrello - Citron Liqueur

Insalata Di Cedro - Citron Salad