Candied Lemon Peel - Recipes From Europe (2024)

FAQs

What is the origin of candied lemon peel? ›

Candied peel as we know it today came to us via the Arab culture in the 16^th century. Travellers reported that chefs there served candied fruits at lavish banquets and sometimes just the peel was used in imaginative ways within dishes to give a small but intense flavour of orange or lemon.

The rind includes the zest and a bit of the bitter white underlayer, whereas the peel is the whole jacket — everything but the flesh. Zest contains the flavorful citrus oils and is the most widely useful of the three.

If you have extra rinds on your hands from preserving lemons and you've already made vats of limoncello, you can cut those rinds into smaller pieces and stuff them into your jars of preserved lemons for bonus pieces. But enough about the preserved lemons. Today, limoncello enjoys its day in the spotlight.

Also known as “mixed peel”, candied citrus peel is a key ingredient in many traditional British Christmas baked goods. Fruit cake, plum pudding and mincemeat for pies are all examples of this.

Sweet lemons are native to Asia and have been commercially grown for centuries for their sweet flavor. Over time, Sweet lemons were transported along trade routes and were planted throughout the Mediterranean basin, Middle East, and India, eventually introduced into the New World in California and Mexico.

Zest is a food ingredient that is prepared by scraping or cutting from the rind of unwaxed citrus fruits such as lemon, orange, citron, and lime. Zest is used to add flavor to foods. Zesting an orange. In terms of fruit anatomy, the zest is obtained from the flavedo (exocarp) which is also called zest.

Although lemon peel normally gets thrown away, research shows that it possesses numerous health benefits. Its fiber, vitamin, and antioxidant contents may support oral, immune, and heart health. It may even have several anticancer properties.

You can eat properly cleaned lemon peels, as they have many beneficial properties, such as being high in antioxidants and vitamin C. You should be mindful when consuming lemon peel, however, because they are quite acidic.

Lemon peels are a great source of antioxidants including vitamin C and D-limonene, which help your body fight free radicals and cellular damage. Regular consumption of antioxidants such as D-limonene has been linked in studies to a decreased risk of type II diabetes and heart disease.

The perfect glass is either short-stemmed or a shot glass, this helps to keep the drink cool. In some parts of Italy, it is served in a chilled ceramic cup. In all cases, an authentic Limoncello in Italy must be served chilled to enjoy the flavour.

What Italian city is known for its limoncello? ›

The whole Amalfi Coast is known for lemons and limoncello, but Sorrento in particular.

Candied Orange Peel / Scorza D'Arancia Candita.

Lemon zest, or the zest of any citrus fruit, simply refers to the outermost layer of the peel known as the flavedo. This layer contains loads of natural oils that are full or flavor and not as acidic as the tart juice.

The best part: the candied peels last for up to 3 months eat them candied or dip them in chocolate for an extra decadent treat. Save the orange-scented syrup to elevate pancakes, co*cktails, baked pears, French toast, or even fruit salad.

The history of candied fruit is a long quest for pleasure! In ancient times, the Chinese, Persians, Greeks and Egyptians sought ways to preserve fruit in winter. They first used honey. It was during the crusades in the East that Westerners discovered the marvels of fruit jellies, jams and the famous candied fruits.

The practice dates back to the ancient Romans, who preserved the summer's bounty of dates, pears and grapes for the winter in jars of honey. In 16th-century Elizabethan England, conspicuous displays of sugar, a pricey commodity at the time, became the ultimate boast, and banquet tables gleamed with candied fruits.

The basic process in the origin of candied fruits dates back to the 14th century, when sugar starts to be known out of India. The process is based on keeping the whole fruits, its peels or even small cut pieces of it in a hot dense syrup that absorbs moisture from the fruit and is able to preserve it.

Long ago, folks discovered that boiling orange peels in sugar saved them from waste and created a delightful treat. This practice turned into a beloved recipe passed down through generations.