Buddha's hand

Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis · Citrus

40 pairings

Buddha's hand (Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis) is a striking variety of citron whose fruit splits into long, finger-like yellow segments that splay out like a clutch of knobbly fingers. Almost entirely fragrant rind and pith with little or no pulp and no juice, it is grown chiefly for its powerful violet-and-lemon perfume — zested over dishes, candied, infused into spirits and set out whole to scent a room.

Picking a good onedrag

Firm fingers, oil-bright rindHard, dull, scent gone

Shop firmThe all-rounder: zest, candied peel, infused spirit.Everyday best

RindYellow, the shine flattening off

The fingersFirm through, only the thinnest tips flexing

Stem endCalyx gone, the scar dry and pale

Scratched peelClearly floral, but you have to rub it

What to look for, from firm fingers, oil-bright rind to hard, dull, scent gone.

Keeping ittap a band

A citron is chilling-sensitive: below about 10 °C the rind pits and browns on a long hold, so a cool larder beats the fridge. Handbook 66 has no citron entry at all.

Humidity

85-95%

All those thin fingers are surface area: bare in a fridge the tips harden and shrivel within days, long before the body of the fruit gives.

Airflow

Perforated bag, not sealed

Perforated or slit, never sealed. Growers rate it quick to mould, and the deep clefts between the fingers hold damp where blue-green rot starts.

Ages and decays faster beside apples

Citrus makes almost none itself but answers to other fruit's: Handbook 66 records ethylene stimulating stem-end rot and decay, and stripping green from the rind.

Preparing