Green lemon from lime than is different? Differences and similarities

Lemons have long ceased to be considered exotic even in northern regions. This fruit is well kept, and its benefits are simply legends. And in cooking it is used quite widely. Where it just does not add, starting with sweets, ending with marinades for meat. But a fruit like lime is not familiar to many. If you decide to taste this wonder for the first time, there is a risk of getting a fake, and, more simply, unripe lemons. These fruits are similar in appearance, especially if you do not know some of the features, but are not at all interchangeable. If you decide to cook an unusual delicacy, in the recipe of which includes lime or its juice, the addition of lemon will disrupt the technology, and the result is likely to disappoint you.

"Well, does the lemon differ from lime?" - you ask. At first glance, you can only find the difference in color. But in fact, everything is much more complicated and many-sided. Let's look at the nuances.

Obvious Similarities

Before talking about differences, we will consider the common features, which are often a source of error. Both citrus fruits belong to the Root family, both have a lobed structure and a sour taste. Immature lemons are similar to limes in color.

It is because of these similarities that it is sometimes difficult to differentiate lemon from lime. What is the difference between one fruit and another? Many are surprised, but even a sour taste can become an identifier. Yes, and the color of the bright peel of lime is easy to distinguish from the unripened green of the lemon, which was ripped off before the time.

The main thing is the color

The following illustration shows just such a fruit - an undersized lemon. Does he look appetizing? Does it make you want to decorate your culinary masterpiece with a slice?

The skin of an immature lemon is colored unevenly, the pulp is light or whitish, the bones are green inside.

Ready-to-eat lime causes other emotions. His juicy-green skin does not look unripe even in appearance. It's her natural color.

By the way, limes are often plucked in advance, because the shelf life of this fruit is much shorter than the lemon (here's one more difference). But he ripens on the way, and the store gets already ripe.

The difference between lemon and lime is obvious, and when comparing pulp. The immature lemon is light yellow, translucent. Lime is always light green inside. Even this color has received the name from fruit - lime. It is light, warm, juicy, with a small fraction of a yellowish hue. That's what the flesh of fruit looks like.

The winner in the nomination "The most sour"

Anyone who has ever tried raw lime can easily distinguish it from any other product, not that of lemon. His taste is simply impossible to confuse with any other. Lemon could seriously claim the title of the most sour fruit, but lime will give him a hundred points ahead. It's just impossible to eat raw without twisting.

Remember: lime is different from lemon to taste. This is a very important difference. Even the unripe fruit can not be more sour than the ripe lime.

When size matters

Trying to distinguish lemon from lime when buying? What distinguishes the taste and color of one fruit from another, you already know. Now pay attention to the shape and size. Lemons are larger and more oval, limes are more like small balls. If the seller gives an opportunity to look at the fruit in a cut, pay attention to the thickness of the crust. At lime it is very thin and dense. A thick-skinned fruit with a green peel and a translucent yellowish pulp is an undersized lemon.

Terms of storage

If you buy one day and put lemon and lime in the refrigerator, the differences of which you already know, you can see another regularity. In a few days the first fruit will lie quietly on the shelf, and the second will begin to fade. The shelf life of lime in the best conditions, to which the temperature is +4 ^o C and the absence of moisture, hardly reaches two weeks. Lemon is not so capricious, it keeps a presentation for a month, or even more.

Price as a tooltip

There is another important rule that you need to follow when trying to distinguish lemon from lime. The difference between the price of one fruit and another is not difficult to guess, considering everything that we have already found out. Lime on average twice, or even three times more expensive than lemon. In addition, on the counter you will not see a huge amount of this fruit, while lemons can have several boxes. What to say, the demand for these fruits is different.

Remember also that an attractive discount on limes and other stocks should not be misleading. Too cheap fruit can be ripe, because, as you already know, you can not store them for long.

Composition and benefits of fruit

It is also possible to differentiate lemon from lime easily. The difference in the composition of these fruits can easily be explained by any biologist. In lime, the content of ascorbic acid is higher than in lemon, several times. In addition, its pulp contains a huge amount of fruit acids and B vitamins. In the lemon, however, there are more phytoncides and vitamins of the group R.

Both fruits are very healthy, thanks to which they are widely used in pharmacology. Respect these fruits and supporters of a healthy diet, sportsmen, tourists. Of course, going on a long hike, preference is given to give the lemon - it can be stored much longer.

It will not be superfluous to mention that a large amount of ascorbic acid contained in lime is destroyed during heat treatment. Therefore, many cooks try in a raw form to use its juice and pulp for the preparation of drinks, cocktails, sorbets and marinades.

Green lemon under the guise of lime: how to recognize falsification

To summarize, it is easy to enumerate the difference between lime and green lemon. Its color is appetizing and pleasant, the flesh is colored in a rich green tint ("lime"), and not in translucent yellow, to taste it is sour, and it is usually more expensive than lemon.

Another feature that will help you not to get lost is a kind of "nose" that a lemon possesses. In lime, both tips are sloping and smooth. Many experts note the smoothness of the peel - the lemon is more porous.

Remember these simple signs, and you can always easily distinguish these useful fruits, acquiring exactly what you need in a particular situation.