The Gourmand’s Lemon celebrates the zesty fruit that has inspired Stella McCartney and Dolce & Gabbana designs, writers Joan Didion and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and artists from Picasso to Andy Warhol
- Taschen’s new coffee table tome The Gourmand’s Lemon celebrates the sourest of fruits across the realms of history, art, film, literature, medicine – and even food, with a stack of zesty recipes
- Learn how the humble lemon inspired canvases by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, words from Joan Didion and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and was once a status symbol in ancient Rome, China and Egypt
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or in Taschen’s case, inevitably, a book. The vibrant zesty fruit is the subject of the publisher’s second collaboration with foodie journal The Gourmand, and promises a “gastronomic voyage through art, film, literature and recipes”.
On the face of it, lemons don’t exactly seem the sexiest topic but Taschen’s expert way with words and design squeezes the best out of the kitchen staple. Probably among the most versatile and hardworking ingredient in any kitchen, it can be used to balance flavour or add acidity to any dish, sweet or savoury. It’s essential for sauces and salad dressings, and shines in desserts like lemon meringue pie. Its zest and peel add a final flourish to food and cocktails alike.
In many cultures, a cleansing combination of hot water and lemon first thing in the morning is believed to ward off germs – though Hong Kong’s preference for warm coke and lemon is likely less effective. According to the internet, lemons can even be used to clean overused home appliances from ovens and dishwashers, to washing machines.
Interestingly, lemons are believed to have originated as a hybrid of earlier citrus varieties, with sources disagreeing on whether this was in the Northeast Indian region of Assam, Northern Myanmar or China – all rather odd considering that it is hardly a staple in any of those cuisines.
Before they ended up on our plates, lemons were regarded as a symbol of status and wealth and used as decoration in the homes of the elite in Rome, China and Egypt. Egyptians also believed that eating lemons would protect them from several forms of poison while they found widespread use as a cure for scurvy starting in the mid-1700s. The fruit was also seen as a beauty aid in the Renaissance, with women using it to pinken their lips.
While India remains the world’s largest producer of lemons, it is the Italians who cultivate the world’s most renowned lemon variety. Amalfi lemons – named after the stunning coastline in the country’s southwest along which they grow in abundance – are larger than most, weighing at least 100 grams and measuring up to 40cm in diameter. Juicy and succulent, they have become as integral to Italian cuisine as pasta and gelato, not to mention being central to limoncello, the famous liqueur.
