Lemon potential

Heather Little-White, PhD, Contributor

Limes and lemons seem to have come in a little late because of the drought earlier this year, but whenever they are in season, limes and lemons are a welcome addition to make my range of refreshing beverages, especially when the days are warm.

Lemonade is derived from the French term, limonade which originally meant an unsweetened lemon-flavoured water or carbonated soda. Today, in many countries, lemonade now means 'soft drink,' regardless of flavour. In the United Kingdom, the suffix '-ade' usually refers to a 'carbonated sweet soft drink with a fruit base, such as orangeade, cherryade and limeade. However, Jamaica still knows lemonade as a smooth blend of lime or lemon juice, sugar and water.

Pink lemonade

Over time, lemonade has taken on many colours with pink lemonade being very popular. It is believed that pink lemonade originated with Native Americans and was a popular thirst quencher for European colonists who had to constantly refresh themselves in the hot tropics. Native Americans originally made pink lemonade from crushed red sumac (red hairy fruit of the cashew family), berries and sweetened with maple sugar.

Later, the ingredients were gradually replaced with cheaper ingredients. Today, pink lemonade is simply coloured with pink food colouring or natural sources of pink colour-like red grapefruit, cherry juice, strawberry and other red fruit juices. Other variations include white lemonade, a colourless fizz, and red lemonade, indigenous to the Republic of Ireland with a distinctive taste. These are often used as mixers for whisky.

Booming business

In the United States and Canada, lemonade, as a home-made juice, is a booming commercial activity for children who set up lemonade stands to sell lemonade in their neighbourhoods to get pocket money. In settings like fairs and festivals, lemonade is a popular refresher known as 'lemonade shake-up'. Also popular is 'slush' made from shaved ice, pieces of lemon and sugar with little liquid added as the melted ice provides the liquid. Slush is popular at theme parks and other outdoor summer events.

Carbonated lemonade is sold commercially and variations include un-carbonated products like squashes and barley water. Lemonade is also packaged in a powdered form under various brands.

'Freshly squeezed' is the term used for the classic type of lemonade simply made from lime/lemon juice, water and sugar. Tastes vary in the final product and slices of lime or lemon can be added for style, especially if presented in a punchbowl for guests coming to your dinner party.

Nutritive value

Citrus fruits like limes or lemons are native to southern China and south-east Asia for over 4,000 years. During the Asian occupation of Spain, lemons were taken to Europe. They were brought to the New World by Christopher Columbus. Made from lemons, lemonade gets the characteristic odour with an acidic, tart yet refreshing taste. One might wonder if the refreshing benefit of the lemonade is boosted by its nutritional value. Lemons are made up of fruit acids (mainly citric acid) and they are an excellent source of vitamin A deficiency in vitamin C causes scurvy and reduces the potential of the immune system to fight off infections.

Lemons are also rich in vitamin A, vitamin B⁶, magnesium, potassium, folic acid and flavonoids, particularly limonene which is showing promise for dissolving gallstones and as an excellent cancer treatment. A fairly good amount of limonene is found in the white spongy inner parts of the lemon.

Heather Little-White, PhD, is a nutrition and lifestyle consultant in the Corporate Area. Send comments to editor@gleanerjm.com or fax 922-6223.