Lime, Orange, and White Pepper

Lime

History

The lime is the smallest, most versatile and ubiquitous of all the citrus fruits. The name lime is of Arabic origin, although limes originate from Southeast Asia. It is thought that Persian and Arab traders introduced limes to India and the middle East, from there the fruit was brought to France and Italy by returning crusaders in the 13th century. There is also some historical evidence to suggest that Christopher Columbus brought lime seeds to the West Indies, and in particular the island of Hispaniola, on his second voyage of 1493.

Today, the worlds biggest producer of limes is Mexico, which is also the largest consumer. Limes are also cultivated in the West Indies, some of which is used for Rose’s Lime Juice. Other regions of commercial production are California, Florida, Ghana and India.

Limes grow on a thorny, scrubby evergreen tree that thrives in tropical regions. Unlike lemons, limes are sensitive to cold weather and need a warm climate where frost is virtually unknown. The lime tree can grow to around 17 feet high. It bears fruit year round and has fragrant leaves and flowers. Limes are deep green when unripe turning yellow-green as they ripen. There are sweet and sour lime varieties as well as limes with seeds and seedless limes. The lime is packed with antioxidants and has often been used to combat malnutrition in developing countries. Studies have demonstrated that limes are chemo-preventative and anti-cancer.

Types Of Lime

Persian Lime ( Citrus latifolia): The Persian lime is also known as Tahiti lime or Bearss lime. This lime sometimes referred to as ‘common lime’ because it is most often seen on supermarket shelves in the USA; it is thought to be a hybrid of the Mexican lime and citron. It is slightly larger than a Mexican lime, is usually seedless, and is mostly grown in Florida with some commercial harvesting in California. Persian limes are very acidic and juicy, although they do not have the intense aromatic appeal of Mexican limes.

Mexican Lime ( Citrus aurantifolia): Also known as Key lime and West Indian lime, this tiny lime variety was brought to the Americas by Spanish settlers. It was cultivated in the Florida Keys and other tropical regions of which it became naturalized. These days Key limes grow in many peoples backyards in Florida and the West Indies. The Key lime is aromatic, juicy and excellent in drinks such as gin and tonic or margaritas, hence its other common name ‘bartenders lime’.

Kaffir Lime ( Citrus hystrix): In its native Southeast Asia the kaffir lime and indeed the entire plant are indispensable. Kaffir limes are bright green with knobbly skin. They have a stronger astringent, more intense flavor that blends well with the complex flavors found in Thai, Vietnamese and Cambodian cuisine. Kaffir lime juice and zest is used in marinades, curries, seafood and also desserts made with coconut. Western cooks are more familiar with kaffir lime leaves which are available fresh or dried in Asian supermarkets. The leaves are not eaten but torn or shredded and used to flavor broths and sauces. The distinctive aromatic, almost perfume flavor of the kaffir lime leaf is used in Thai cuisine as bay leaves are used in western cuisine.

The Nutrition of Limes

Limes are an excellent source of vitamin C, though not as good as lemons. Its better to Consume freshly squeezed lime juice, as lime juice tends to lose its nutritional benefit over time. The lime also contain potassium, folic acid, iron and calcium. Limes are also low in calories, about 30 calories per 100 grams, fat free, sodium free and cholesterol free. The fruit pulp of limes is high in the soluble fiber pectin. According to an article about research published in the New York Times, pectin isolates bile which requires the body to consume cholesterol in order to make new bile acid. Therefore pectin helps lower LDL cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. It is also thought that pectin removes heavy metals,such as mercury and lead from the body.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which helps nuetralize harmful free radicals. Free radical cause inflammation, which can damage blood artery walls and can change the effect of cholestrol which leads to osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetic heart disiease. In this respect pectin and vitamin C combined, are two powerful allies, found in limes and lemons, in the prevention of heart disease.

Lime contains a number of bioactive compounds which are a nutritional bonus to the antioxidant powers of vitamin C. The most abundant of which are a group of antioxidants found in citrus peel known as limonoids. Limonene is a type of phytochemical classified in the group known as terpenes, or in the sub-group monoterpene. Limonene helps trigger detoxification in the liver and small bowl by increasing the number of enzymes and stimulating GST (Glutathione S- transferases) thereby helping to eliminate carcinogens. Animal studies indicate that limonene is chemopreventive and anti-cancer.

Other Uses for Limes

Limonene is also used in the manufacture of cosmetics, shampoo, soaps and herbal ointments. In the kitchen use limes to clean garlic and chili from cutting boards and knifes. Limes are also good for removing turmeric stains from work surfaces and equipment. Add lime juice to a bowl of water. Use the water to hold starches like potato and cassava to stop them from turning brown.

Reference  :  https://food.knoji.com/the-tropical-fruit-lime-history-varieties-and-nutrition/


Orange

Orange, any of several species of small trees or shrubs of the genus Citrus of the family Rutaceae and their nearly round fruits, which have leathery and oily rinds and edible, juicy inner flesh. A number of species and varieties of orange are economically important, namely the China orange, also called the sweet, or common, orange (Citrus ×sinensis); the mandarin orange (C. reticulata), some varieties of which are called tangerines; and the sour, or Seville, orange (C. ×aurantium), which is less extensively grown. Common varieties of the sweet orange include the Jaffa, from Israel, the seedless navel, and the Maltese, or blood, orange.

Cultivation

The tree of the sweet orange often reaches 6 metres (20 feet) in height. The broad, glossy, evergreen leaves are medium-sized and ovate; the petioles (leafstalks) have narrow wings. Its white five-petaled flowers are very fragrant. The fruit is a modified berry known as a hesperidium, and the flesh is divided into segments called carpels. The usual shape of the sweet-orange fruit is round and the colour of its pulp orange, but there are variations. The mandarin, for example, is distinctly flattened, and the blood orange has red pulp. The pulp of the sweet orange is agreeably acidulous and sweet; the leathery peel is comparatively smooth; and the oil glands are convex. Oranges are picked when fully ripe, for, unlike some deciduous fruits, they do not ripen or improve in quality after being picked. The trees bear abundantly from 50 to 80 years or even more, and some old orange trees whose age must be reckoned by centuries still produce crops.

Oranges thrive best where the trees are chilled somewhat by occasional light frosts in winter. The trees are semidormant at that season, and temperatures just below freezing will not harm trees or fruit unless frost occurs early, before the trees have finished their annual growth. In the coldest cultivation areas, the orchards may be heated with smudge pots or smokeless natural-gas burners.

The trees tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, from extremely sandy soils to rather heavy clay loams; they grow especially well in intermediate types of soil. Orange orchards are generally planted in relatively deep soil where drainage is good. The orange trees are usually budded on stocks grown from the seed of selected trees. The seeds are sown in well-prepared soil in a lath house; after about 12 months’ growth there, the seedlings are removed to a nursery. After about 12–16 months in the nursery, the trees are usually large enough to bud. When the budded tops are one to two years old, the trees are large enough to plant in the orchard.

The culture of intercrops such as beans, tomatoes, or melons among immature orange trees is common in some places. The growth of cover crops makes use of seasonal rainfall for production of organic matter to be incorporated into the soil. In many areas where oranges are grown, it is necessary to supplement the rainfall with irrigation; this is generally the practice in Texas, California, Israel, Spain, Morocco, and parts of South Africa.

History And Use

Oranges are believed to be native to the tropical regions of Asia, especially the Malay Archipelago; along with other citrus species, they have been cultivated from remote ages. Orange culture probably spread from its native habitat to India and the east coast of Africa and from there to the eastern Mediterranean region. The Roman conquests, the development of Arab trade routes, and the expansion of Islam contributed significantly to this dispersal. By the time Christopher Columbus sailed, orange trees were common in the Canary Islands. Today oranges are cultivated in subtropical and tropical America, northern and eastern Mediterranean countries, Australia, and South Africa.

Soyuz. The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft in flight after takeoff. A Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched from Baikonur, Province of Kazakhstan, October 12, 2008. spaceship, rocket blast off, space travel Space-Time and Space-Distance

Prior to 1920, the orange was mainly considered a dessert fruit. The spread of orange-juice drinking, in contrast with eating of the fresh fruit, significantly increased the per capita consumption of oranges. Also important was the growing appreciation of the dietary value of citrus fruits; oranges are rich in vitamin C and also provide some vitamin A. The most important product made from oranges in the United States is frozen concentrated juice. Essential oils, pectin, candied peel, and orange marmalade are among the important by-products. Sour, or Seville, oranges are raised especially for making marmalade. Stock feed is made from the waste material left from processing.

Reference  :  https://www.britannica.com/plant/orange-fruit

White pepper

What is white pepper?

White pepper consists of only the inner seed of the pepper berry, with the pericarp removed. To make white pepper, the berry is picked fully ripe. Its outer shrunken skin is rubbed off, exposing the dried, greyish-white pepper inside. This white pepper is dried and sold commercially, in whole and powdered forms.

White pepper – and hence, its powder – has a milder, more delicate flavour than black pepper because it contains lesser piperine, the volatile oil that gives pepper its characteristic flavour. It is useful for adding a peppery flavour to light-coloured sauces and soups. White pepper is preferred in Europe, especially France, and is also popular in Japan.

History of white pepper:

The world’s most commonly used spice, Piper nigrum, starts life as berries in a clump on a flowering vine (like grapes). Native to Southern India, today pepper is grown throughout the tropics.

Archaeological evidence of people using pepper goes back to at least 2000 BC in India. It is known that pepper was exported, but to what extent remains a mystery. Nonetheless, signs of an ancient pepper trade from India to Egypt have been found, including the peppercorns that had been stuffed into the nostrils of Ramses the Great (1303-1213 BC) when he was mummified.

Certainly by 40 AD, the Romans had a thriving trade in spices, including pepper. Leaving the southwestern coast of India in July with the monsoon winds, Roman sea traders brought cinnamon, incense oils and pepper to their great commercial hub in Alexandria. When the strong monsoon winds switched in the fall, the traders rode them back.

The Romans gobbled pepper up, and in Apicius’ Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome, 80% of the recipes contain the spice. Nonetheless, not everybody was a big fan, including Pliny the Elder (25-79 AD)

Types of pepper:

There are over 600 varieties of pepper (genus Piper), but few are used as spice, often distinguished only by the degree of maturation and the type of processing.

Common pepper on the market is the fruit of Piper nigrum, consisting of small spherical green berries that reach a bright red when fully ripe. Depending on the period of collection and / or processing undergone, we can distinguish the following types of pepper:

• 

black pepper (collected at veraison and dried)
• 
white pepper (collected at veraison or later, dehulled by maceration in water or mechanically dried)
• green pepper (unripe harvest, dried and placed in brine)
• 
red pepper (ripe harvest, placed in brine)

The pepper plant is a creeper with a thin and woody stem. Its fruits (from 20 to 40 in each ear) contain a single seed, which is by far the largest and aromatic part of the fruit.

Source :

http://www.webbjames.com/list-of-spices/varieties-of-peppers/varieties-of-pepper/