It is the common name for the reproductive tissue surrounding the seed of the angiosperm lemon tree.
The lemon is used for culinary and non culinary uses throughout the world.
The fruit is used primarily for it’s juice, though the pulp and rind (zest) are also used, primarily in cooking and baking.
Lemon juice is about 5% citric acid , which gives lemons a tart taste,
Lemons are used to make lemonade, as a garnish for drinks, Iced tea, soft drinks and water are often served with a wedge or slice of lemon in the glass or on the rim.
The average lemon contains approximately 3 tablespoons of juice.
Fish are marinated in lemon juice to neutralise the odour, the acid neutralises the amines in fish by converting them into nonvolatile ammonium salts.
Lemon juice, alone or in combination with other ingredients, is used to marinate meat before cooking : the acid provided by the juice partially hydrolyzes the tough collagen fibres in the meat (tenderising the meat), though the juice does not have any antibiotic effects
Lemons, alone or with oranges, are used to make marmalade.
The grated rind of the lemon, called lemon zest, is used to add flavour to baked goods, puddings, rice and other dishes.
Spicy pickled lemons are a Moroccan Jewish delicacy.
A liqueur called limoncello is made from lemons.
When lemon juice is sprinkled on certain foods that tend to oxidise (turn brown after being sliced, such as apples, bananas and avocados) the acid acts as a short-term preservative by denaturing the enzymes that cause browning and degradation
Lemons, contain lots of sharp, acidic juice, also a fragrant oil that's found in the zest (the coloured outer layer of the skin).
In cooking, lemon zest is every bit as treasured as the juice, our heritage of rich fruit Christmas cakes, puddings and mincemeats all contain lemon juice and zest and candied lemon peel, giving extra fragrance and flavour.
It's always best to use lemons as fresh as possible.
Lemons keep better when stored in a polythene bag in the salad drawer of the fridge.