In meat, the acid partially hydrolyzes tough collagen fibers, tenderizing it. It is used in marinades for fish, where its acid neutralizes amines in fish by converting them into nonvolatile ammonium salts. Lemon juice is used to make lemonade, soft drinks, and cocktails. Lemon zest, the grated outer rind of the fruit, is used to add flavor to baked goods, puddings, rice, and other dishes. Lemon slices and lemon rind are used as a garnish for food and drinks.

The whole lemon is used to make marmalade, lemon curd and lemon liqueur. Lemon juice, rind, and peel are used in a wide variety of foods and drinks. Lemon juice contains slightly more citric acid than lime juice (about 47 g/l), nearly twice the citric acid of grapefruit juice, and about five times the amount of citric acid found in orange juice. Lemons contain numerous phytochemicals, including polyphenols, terpenes, and tannins. Other essential nutrients are low in content. Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C, providing 64% of the Daily Value in a 100 g reference amount (table). †Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Lemon, raw, without peel Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) The 'Yen Ben' is an Australasian cultivar. It is the variety traditionally used in the making of limoncello. Teresa', or 'Sorrento' originates in Italy. It generally produces more juice than the Eureka. It is smoother than the Eureka, has thinner skin, and has fewer or no seeds. The Lisbon lemon is very similar to the Eureka and is the other common supermarket lemon. There is also a pink-fleshed Eureka lemon, with a green and yellow variegated outer skin. This variety is also available as a plant to domestic customers. This is the common supermarket lemon, also known as 'Four Seasons' ( Quatre Saisons) because of its ability to produce fruit and flowers together throughout the year. The 'Eureka' grows year-round and abundantly. These are mostly grown in San Diego County, USA. The 'Bonnie Brae' is oblong, smooth, thin-skinned and seedless. Varietiesĭetailed taxonomic illustration by Franz Eugen Köhler. The word draws from the Old French limon, then Italian limone, from the Arabic laymūn or līmūn, and from the Persian līmūn, a generic term for citrus fruit, which is a cognate of Sanskrit ( nimbū, ' lime'). The origin of the word lemon may be Middle Eastern. In 1747, James Lind's experiments on seamen suffering from scurvy involved adding lemon juice to their diets, though vitamin C was not yet known as an important dietary ingredient. In the 19th century, lemons were increasingly planted in Florida and California. It was mainly used as an ornamental plant and for medicine. Spanish conquest throughout the New World helped spread lemon seeds. The lemon was later introduced to the Americas in 1493 when Christopher Columbus brought lemon seeds to Hispaniola on his voyages. The first substantial cultivation of lemons in Europe began in Genoa in the middle of the 15th century. An article on Lemon and lime tree cultivation in Andalusia of Spain is brought down in Ibn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work, Book on Agriculture. It was distributed widely throughout the Arab world and the Mediterranean region between 10. The lemon was first recorded in literature in a 10th-century Arabic treatise on farming, and was also used as an ornamental plant in early Islamic gardens. Around 400 AD they were planted in orchards in Moorish Spain They were later introduced to Persia and then to Iraq and Egypt around 700 AD. Evidence for this is inconclusive and modern theories ascribe the introduction of the lemon throughout the Mediterranean area to around 100 AD. Lemons are supposed to have entered Europe near southern Italy no later than the second century AD, during the time of Ancient Rome although this has been contested. A genomic study of the lemon indicated it was a hybrid between bitter orange (sour orange) and citron. The origin of the lemon is unknown, though lemons are thought to have first grown in Assam (a region in northeast India), northern Myanmar or China. The distinctive sour taste of lemon juice makes it a key ingredient in drinks and foods such as lemonade and lemon meringue pie. The juice of the lemon is about 5% to 6% citric acid, with a pH of around 2.2, giving it a sour taste.

The pulp and rind are also used in cooking and baking. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world, primarily for its juice, which has both culinary and cleaning uses.

The lemon ( Citrus limon) is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India ( Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.

Citrus × limodulcis D.Rivera, Obón & F.Méndez.