Rough lemon

Citrus jambhiri · Citrus

40 pairings

The rough lemon (Citrus jambhiri) is a coarse, thick-skinned lemon relative whose knobbly, bumpy rind gives it its name. It is famous chiefly as one of the world's great citrus rootstocks — a vigorous, drought-hardy tree onto which other citrus are grafted — yet its juicy, sharply acidic pulp is also squeezed for a rougher, muskier lemon souring in South Asian and East African kitchens, where the tree grows readily from seed.

Picking a good onedrag

Heavy, taut, oil beadingLight, dry, mould at the button

Shop firmThe all-rounder: souring curries and dals, drinks, pickles, candied peel.Buy it

RindYellow and matte, every pit and bump still standing

In the handHeavy, firm, a slight springy give

Button endButton pale or shed, scar dry and flat

Scratched zestCoarse, musky citrus rises when the rind is rubbed

What to look for, from heavy, taut, oil beading to light, dry, mould at the button.

Keeping ittap a band

A domestic fridge holds it about 2× longer than the counter.

Humidity

85–95%

Keep it loose-bagged and never wash it for storage — dry air shrivels the knobbly rind first, and that rind is thick enough to hide how dry the flesh has gone.

Airflow

Ventilated

Don't seal it away damp: the pitted, dimpled rind holds water in its hollows and moulds there. It also takes up the smell of anything strong stored beside it.

Sensitive, never a source

Like other lemons it makes almost no ethylene of its own — under 0.1 µL/kg/h at 20 °C — but other fruit's ages it: keep it off the apple and banana shelf, where it decays sooner.

Preparing