History

June 19

LIMES

The lime is the smallest, most versatile and ubiquitous of all the citrus fruits. The name lime is of Arabic origin, although limes originate from Southeast Asia. It is thought that Persian and Arab traders introduced limes to India and the middle East, from there the fruit was brought to France and Italy by returning crusaders in the 13th century. There is also some historical evidence to suggest that Christopher Columbus brought lime seeds to the West Indies, and in particular the island of Hispaniola, on his second voyage of 1493. Today, the worlds biggest producer of limes is Mexico, which is also the largest consumer. Limes are also cultivated in the West Indies, some of which is used for Rose’s Lime Juice. Other regions of commercial production are California, Florida, Ghana and India.