Saturday 28 March 2020

The Caviar Of Citrus,

I have never heard of it,


which is hardly surprising as it sells for between $200 and $300 a kilogram, photograph Ivan the Boneful/Wikimedia Commons, shaped more like a like a jalapeno pepper than a citrus fruit, the small finger lime yields tiny caviar-like pearls that burst with flavor when you bite into them, originating from the lowland subtropical rainforests of coastal Australia, (Citrus australasica), or the Australian finger lime has become one of the most sough-after ingredients by Michelin star restaurants around the world, it is not that they taste radically different than regular limes or lemons – in fact their flavor is described as a combination of the two – but the texture of their pulp really makes all the difference,

 the high price has a lot to do with the low yield of finger lime plantations, as the trees requires a lot of attention, and many of the fruits they produce are not viable for sale, French growers Perrine and Etienne Schaller were the first to commercially cultivate finger limes in their country, and they recently told Great Big Story, whose video is above, that there are several varieties of the fruit, each with its own color and flavor, ranging from very acidic, to a very aromatic lemongrass-like taste,

because of their rarity and high price, you are unlikely to find finger lime caviar at your local supermarket, the Schallers themselves work with 25 Michelin star restaurants in France, a model replicated by most growers around the world, “When I introduce it in a dish, it’s one of the central elements,” French chef Daniel Lutrand said, “Because it’s what awakens the dish, that’s what is the most important, and brings wonder to the client. The acidity will go ‘puff’!” so there it is, if you want the caviar of citrus, 5 star dinning it is!


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