Demanding lime
The small, green fruits of the Mexican lime (Citrus aurantiifolia) can usually be found in German supermarkets. This is also known as "Bartender Lime" because its juice is very often used in cocktails. However, there are also a number of other types of lime that are currently in the Southeast Asian countries as well as the Caribbean and the USA not as a spice or juice in many dishes are to be imagined. In general, limes are more sensitive than lemons and - unlike this one - can no winter temperatures tolerate. Therefore is the care this from the Tropics and subtropics native plant is more complicated than that of other citrus species.
also read
- Bring the exotic kaffir lime well over the winter
- The origin of the lime
- Is lime and lime the same fruit?
Different types of lime
Lemons usually stand out because of their bright yellow skin when ripe, and the fist-sized berries are significantly larger than those of a lime. Lemons are also shaped differently: Limes are usually round and have a smooth skin, while lemons, on the other hand, have a more elongated-oval shape and are rougher. There are different types of lime, some of which are little or no known in Germany. Some of the fruits can also take on a yellow to orange-yellow color. At this point, the three best-known varieties should be presented once.
Mexican lime (Citrus aurantiifolia)
The "Bartender Lime" grows as a small, heavily branched and thorny bush with filigree branches. The flower buds are tinged with violet when exposed to strong sunlight. The leaf is dull green and about the size of a tangerine leaf. The variety is very sensitive to cold and difficult to hibernate. The small fruits are very thin-skinned, juicy, light green to pale yellow and rich in seeds.
Persian lime (Citrus latifolia)
This variety is almost as hardy as lemons and due to the sterility of the ovules (i.e. H. the Persian lime cannot be grown from seeds!) almost always seedless. The Persian lime bears many aromatic fruits every year and has a much shorter ripening time than lemons. The berries are harvested between March and December.
Kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix)
This is a tropical species that does very well for the winter garden as well as suitable for a greenhouse and indoor culture. The shrub bears small, greenish-yellow to yellow-skinned fruits with a diameter of approx. six centimeters. These have a very wavy, wrinkled skin when ripe. The pulp is green.
Tips & Tricks
In Thailand in particular, the leaves of the kaffir lime are used as a spice, similar to ours in the bay leaves. They can be cooked (especially in stews), but not eaten.
IJA
