What is citrus?
The dictionary (Oxford) version goes like this: “a tree of a genus that includes citron, lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit. Native to Asia, citrus trees are cultivated in warm countries for their fruit.”
Out of this list, a citron is often used just for the zest, has very little juice and is not grown much in South Africa, but the others are all well known and in each of these there is a favourite variety. Types often referred to as soft citrus are not mentioned in the dictionary version, but these are definitely citrus and include ‘easy peelers’ like mandarins, clementines, satsumas, mineolas, tangerines and, of course, our very own naartjies. Kumquats can be added to the list as sour citrus and are usually used for making…
