medica, the mandarin orange Citrus
reticulata, and the pummelo Citrus grandis.
At least one offspring is relatively young: the
grapefruit apparently originated in the West
Indies in the 18th century as a cross between
the pummelo and the sweet orange.
Citron Perhaps the first citrus fruit to reach
the Middle East around 700 BCE and the
Mediterranean around 300 BCE, citrons are
native to the Himalayan foothills. They gave
their name to the genus, and their name came
in turn from their resemblance to the cone of a
Mediterranean evergreen cedar (Greek
kedros). The several varieties have little juice,
but an intensely aromatic rind that can
perfume a room — citrons are used in both
Asian and Jewish religious ceremonies — and
that has long been candied (p. 295). In China’s
Sichuan province, the rind is made into a hot
pickle.
Flavor Notes in Some Citrus Fruits