Buddha’s Hand Citron

Fruit Maven — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:11:22 +0000

If you’ve been dreaming of a fancy eatable claw to finish off your Freddy Krueger/Hannibal Lecter combo costume, then this is the fruit for you!

APPEARANCE 5 out of 5 stars

This fruit wins high marks just for the creep factor – long, bumpy yellow monster fingers. Green at first, then ripens to a nice lemony yellow – white pith and no flesh (some do have a small amount of flesh, but this one didn’t)

AROMA 5 out of 5 stars

Intoxicating, perfumy, lemony goodness. I’ve been considering picking my boogers with it, except that then it isn’t in my nose for very long. But seriously – doesn’t it seem like someone should market this for that purpose?

TEXTURE 3.5 out of 5 stars

Dry, soft pith that feels a bit like ultrasuede to touch, like a slightly soft, though still crunchy, radish in the mouth

TASTE 3.5 out of 5 stars

Complicated lemon flavor that isn’t sour. The peel has only the tiniest bit of bitterness, the pith is fairly mellow. Very nice actually.

OVERALL 4.25 out of 5 stars

I have bought Buddha’s Hand many times and never ever have I considered biting in to one raw before now. I always chop them up and throw them in to some sugar water for candying and using in cookies. Nothing about this particularly ghoulish fruit screams out “eat me raw”. However, now that I have bitten in to the thing – I am shocked. I like it. I feel like Mikey in that old Life Cereal commercial. “Maven likes it! Maven likes it!” That being said, I can’t be bothered with eating this thing – it is way too fun to use it as a fake claw and chase people around. Now that I know I can happily bite off one of the fingers – all the better.

FRUIT

Citron

VARIETY

Buddha’s Hand

PEAK

Fall

ORIGIN

India

GROWN

California

PURCHASED

Farmer’s Market

NOTES

Also known as Five Fingered Mandarin, Fingered Citron and my personal favorite, Goblin Fingers. History

RECIPES

Melon Salad with Mint and Buddha’s Hand
Buddha’s Hand Citron Liquer

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