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Lime (fruit)

 
Lime (fruit)

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Lime (fruit)



 
 
Lime is a term referring to a number of different fruits (generally citrus
Citrus

Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the family Rutaceae, originating in tropical and subtropical southeast regions of the world....
es), both species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter
Diameter

In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle....
, generally containing sour pulp
Pulp

Pulp may refer to:...
, and frequently associated with the lemon
Lemon

The lemon is the common name for Citrus limon. The reproductive tissue surrounds the seed of the angiosperm lemon tree. The lemon is used for culinary and nonculinary purposes throughout the world....
. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and beverages. They are usually smaller than lemons, and a good source of vitamin C
Vitamin C

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of simian species, a small number of other mammalian species , a few species of birds, and some fish....
.Limes are available all year round and more sour than lemons.

Cooking In cooking
Cooking

Cooking is the process of preparing food by applying heat, selecting, measuring and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure for producing safe and edible food....
, lime is valued both for the acidity of its juice and the floral aroma of its zest
Zest (ingredient)

Zest is the outer, colorful skin of citrus, known botanically as the exocarp. It is often used to add flavor to foods....
.






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Encyclopedia


Lime is a term referring to a number of different fruits (generally citrus
Citrus

Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the family Rutaceae, originating in tropical and subtropical southeast regions of the world....
es), both species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter
Diameter

In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle....
, generally containing sour pulp
Pulp

Pulp may refer to:...
, and frequently associated with the lemon
Lemon

The lemon is the common name for Citrus limon. The reproductive tissue surrounds the seed of the angiosperm lemon tree. The lemon is used for culinary and nonculinary purposes throughout the world....
. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and beverages. They are usually smaller than lemons, and a good source of vitamin C
Vitamin C

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of simian species, a small number of other mammalian species , a few species of birds, and some fish....
.Limes are available all year round and more sour than lemons.

Uses


Cooking

In cooking
Cooking

Cooking is the process of preparing food by applying heat, selecting, measuring and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure for producing safe and edible food....
, lime is valued both for the acidity of its juice and the floral aroma of its zest
Zest (ingredient)

Zest is the outer, colorful skin of citrus, known botanically as the exocarp. It is often used to add flavor to foods....
. It is used in Key lime pie
Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie is a 1989 album by Camper Van Beethoven, also known as CVB. It was the band's final album before breaking up in 1990, although the band has reunited and released new material in recent years....
, a traditional Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
 dessert
Dessert

Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one, such as some cheeses....
, and is a very common ingredient in authentic Mexican, Southwestern United States
Cuisine of the Southwestern United States

Cuisine of the Southwestern United States is food styled after the rustic cooking of the Southwestern States. It comprises a fusion of recipes for things that might have been eaten by Viceroyalty of New Spain settlers, cowboys, Native Americans in the United States, and Mexicans throughout the post-Columbian era; there is, however, a great d...
 and Thai dishes. It is also used for its pickling
Pickling

Pickling, also known as brining or corning, is the process of preserving food by Anaerobic organism fermentation in brine , to produce lactic acid bacteria, or marination and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar ....
 properties in ceviche
Ceviche

Ceviche is a form of citrus-marinated seafood appetizer, popular in mainly Latin American countries like Peru, Panama, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and Chile....
. Additionally, the leaves of lime are used in southeast Asia
Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
n cuisine. The use of dried limes (called black lime
Black lime

Black Lime is a spice used in middle eastern dishes. It is made by boiling fresh Lime in salt water and drying it....
 or loomi) as a flavouring is typical of Persian cuisine and Iraqi cuisine, as well as in Gulf
Gulf states

Gulf States can refer to:* Those states of the USA along the Gulf Coast of the United States: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida....
-style baharat
Baharat

File:Gulfbaharat.gifBaharat is a spice mixture or blend used throughout the Levant, in Lebanon, Syrian, Jordanian, Iraqi, and Palestinian cuisine....
 (a spice mixture
Spice mix

Spice mixes are blended spices or herbs. When a certain combination of herbs or spices is called for in many different recipes , it is convenient to blend these ingredients beforehand....
 that is also called kabsa or kebsa). Limes are also an essential element in Tamil cuisine
Tamil cuisine

Tamil Nadu is famous for its hospitality and its deep belief that serving food to others is a service to humanity as is common in many regions of India....
.

Lime leaves are also a herb in South, East, and particularly Southeast Asia. In Vietnam
Vietnam

Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....
, people have boiled chicken with lime leaves and a mixture of salt, black pepper and lime juice.

Other uses

In order to prevent scurvy
Scurvy

Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus....
 during the 19th century, British sailors
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 were issued a daily allowance of citrus such as lime (presumably Citrus aurantifolia), which led in time to the nickname "limey" for all Britons. It was later discovered that this beneficial effect derived from the quantities of Vitamin C
Vitamin C

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of simian species, a small number of other mammalian species , a few species of birds, and some fish....
 the fruit contains.

Lime extracts and essential oils are frequently used in perfume
Perfume

Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces a pleasant smell....
s, cleaning products, and aromatherapy
Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile liquid plant materials, known as essential oils , and other aromatic compounds from plants for the purpose of affecting a person's mood or health....
.

Production trends

India with ~16% of worlds overall lemon and lime output tops the production list, followed by Mexico(~14.5%), Argentina(~10%), Brazil(~8%) and Spain(~7%).

Plants known as "lime"

  • Australian lime
    Australian lime

    Australian lime refers to six small citrus species known as lime native to the continent of Australia.Five are found only in the rainforests of the north....
    s
    • Australian desert lime (Citrus glauca)
    • Australian finger lime (Citrus australasica)
    • Australian round lime
      Citrus australis

      Round lime , also known as Australian lime or Australian round lime, is a large shrub or small tree of a height of up to 12m. It grows in the Beenleigh, Queensland area, Queensland, Australia....
       (Citrus australis)
  • Blood lime
    Blood lime

    Blood limes are a Hybrid citrus developed by the CSIRO project to investigate salt-resistant crops. While the lime proved unsuitable for high-salt conditions, they have seen some commercial development; the first commercial crop appeared in markets in Australia in July 2004, and are under consideration for export....
  • Kaffir lime
    Kaffir lime

    The kaffir lime , also known as kieffer lime and limau purut is a type of lime native to Indonesia and Malaysia, commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, and widely grown worldwide as a backyard shrub....
     (Citrus hystrix) (a.k.a. kieffer lime; makrut, or magrood)
  • Key lime
    Key lime

    The Key lime is a citrus species with a globose fruit, 2.5-5 cm in diameter , that is yellow when ripe but usually picked green commercially. It is smaller, seedier, has a higher acidity, a stronger aroma, and a thinner rind than that of the Persian lime ....
     (Citrus aurantifolia) (a.k.a. Mexican, West Indian, or Bartender's lime)
  • Mandarin Lime (Citrus limonia)
  • Musk lime (X Citrofortunella mitis)
  • Palestine sweet lime (Citrus limettioides)
  • Persian lime
    Persian lime

    Persian Lime , also known as Tahiti lime or Bearss lime, is a citrus fruit grown commercially in the U.S. and sold simply as a "lime "....
     (Citrus x latifolia) (a.k.a. Tahiti or Bearss lime)
  • Spanish lime
    Mamoncillo

    The mamoncillo , also known as mam?n , chenet , guaya, gnep, ginep, skinnip genip, guinep, ginnip, ken?p , quenepa , ackee and Spanish lime, limoncillo , is a fruit-bearing tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae, native or naturalised over a wide area of t...
     (Melicoccus bijugatus) (a.k.a. mamoncillo, mamón, ginep, quenepa, or limoncillo) (not a citrus)
  • Sweet lime (Citrus limetta) (a.k.a. sweet limetta, Mediterranean sweet lemon)
  • Wild lime (Adelia ricinella)
  • Limequat
    Limequat

    The limequat is a citrus and the result of a cross between the Lime and the kumquat. It is a member of citrofortunella....
     (lime × kumquat)
  • Lime tree (Tilia sp.)


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