Buddha’s Hand

Description

Country of Origin: India 🇮🇳 & China 🇨🇳
Class / Cat: 1 (Premium Quality)
Average Weight: 1 KG

Introduction

Buddha’s Hand fruit has its strange name because, well, it looks like fingers! It’s a variation of the citron, so may also be referred to as a fingered citron. In Chinese folklore, Buddha’s hand fruit symbolises happiness, longevity, and wealth. In fact, gifting its tree for Chinese new year is thought to bring good luck. 

The Exotic Fruits Buddha’s Hands were hand-picked by us from an independently-owned small holdings in Barcelona. The land has a long rich history of producing some of the Spains finest fruit and for 4 years has been used to cultivate full-flavoured speciality citrus. 

History

Though historians aren’t completely sure, Buddha’s hand fruit is thought to have been brought to China from India by travelling Buddhists. Historical records from the empire of Min (a Chinese kingdom between 909 and 945 AD) show Buddha’s hand fruit was around at that time, and was considered to be important.

Regions

Buddha’s hand fruit is native to north east India and China. 

Flavour & Texture

Buddha’s hand has a similar flavour to lemon peel, but is not overly sour or bitter like lemon flesh. It’s slightly sweet and quite lemony and floral; much like its aroma. Buddha’s hand has no flesh, pulp, or seeds; just rind. This means it doesn’t have any juice or moisture. Sometimes, Buddha’s hand is used for its fragrance alone, like a natural air freshener.

Preparation

The whole Buddha’s hand fruit can be eaten, but we wouldn’t recommend eating too much of the skin as it’s very fibre-dense. We recommend cutting it into thin slices, or – to avoid the skin completely – cut it into chunks and cut off the edges. Buddha’s hand can even be grated and used like lemon zest.

Nutritional Value

Buddha’s hand fruit is thought to be a great anti-inflammatory.