Someone
contacted us recently and said, “I want to go to Tuscany and see lemons.” Well I hate to
disappoint them, but where they really want to go is not in Tuscany. In Tuscany one can see citrus fruit in large
terracotta vases in the monumental Medici gardens because they had a special
collection of these prized fruits. Often old villas have a ‘limonaia’,
which is a separate building used to store this precious fruit in the winter months. But to
see lemons, lemons and more lemons one must travel to the Amalfi coast, that
charmed coastal land south of Naples in Southern Italy. When I took my mom there many years ago
she said, “I have never seen so many lemons in my life!”. She lives in Florida too, so she is used
to seeing citrus fruit groves!
 |
| Views from Praiano, on the Amalfi Coast |
The real
name of this prized fruit is Amalfi sfusato. It is a one of a kind variety,
gathered in large wood baskets from February to October. According to legend,
this precious fruit was brought to the Amalfi coast by crusaders returning from
Palestine. It
takes root on the terraced gardens in the area and is just a marvel to see. Since
1999 they have a IGP status (protected geographical origin).
So this
summer when the heat gets stifling, in addition to freshly made lemonade you
can drink chilled limoncello, the famous afterdinner drink from this area.
Making
Limoncello is much easier than you may think!
1 liter of alcohol
1 liter of water
500 grams of sugar
The rind of
6-7 fragrant organic lemons (best if they are from Amalfi, but I have used
others and it comes out buono just
the same).
Wash lemons
thoroughly and peel, leaving as little
white as possible attached.
Soak the
rinds in alcohol for about 10 days in a dark room.
Then
dissolve 500 grams
of sugar in 1 liter
of boiled water.
Leave to
cool and add alcohol, filtering the rinds.
Filter the
liquid again and store in bottles.
- Post and Photos by Elizabeth
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