Le Vie della Zagara: Limone di Siracusa

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A fertile coastal plain stretching between the mountains and the sea with plenty of sea air and consistent year-round sunlight make conditions right for growing Limone di Siracusa, aka Syracuse lemons – some of the juiciest and zestiest on the market. Such conditions add up to a gorgeous place to visit too. The last of the low hanging PGI fruits picked along my journey across Sicily, here’s why I’m a sucker for the aroma and flavour of this mighty if diminutive squirt!

So I’ve been making a fuss in this series about how great it is to eat Sicilian citrus. But the use of these fruits – most particularly Syracuse lemons – in high-end perfumes and a range of other scented products is a big deal too. Just think about how many luxury and everyday items you encounter daily that have the scent of a lemon. In addition to the actual lemons you buy (especially if you shop at Tesco or Waitrose), there’s a good chance you come across Syracuse lemons on a very regular basis across a wide variety of items.

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90% of all lemons from Sicily are from Syracuse and – as I witnessed firsthand during a tour of facilities of organic producers, Campisi Italia, guided by Dr Fabio Moschella, President of the Consorzio dell’IGP Limone di Siracusa – a whole lot of lemons consumed throughout Europe come from Sicily.

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Still, you can’t beat how a lemon can up the flavour of so many foods, and such is definitely the case when enjoying the traditional cuisine of Syracuse. A lunch hosted by the Consorzio dell’IGP Limone di Siracusa at Agriturismo Pozzo di Mazza was as fine a feast as I could have imagined and one of the best meals I had during my trip. From salads to main courses and through to dessert – there’s hardly a dish lemons can’t enhance. I only had lunch at Pozzo di Mazza, but a snoop about the grounds of this 19th century working farm suggested it’s a lovely place to stay. Everybody there was really friendly too. Find out more at pozzodimazza.com.

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For a wealth of information about Syracuse lemons, including a number of recipes, go to limonedisiracusa.org.

Please keep an eye out for more juicy tales in my Le Vie della Zagara series of posts.

About tikichris

Chris Osburn is the founder, administrator and editor of tikichris. In addition to blogging, he works as a freelance journalist, photographer, consultant and curator.
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1 Response to Le Vie della Zagara: Limone di Siracusa

  1. Pingback: Le Vie della Zagara: Zestful and Juicy Sicily

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