Citrus - Lime - Palestine Sweet
Citrus - Lime - Palestine Sweet
Palestine sweet lime (Lima dulce or Indian lime) is a sweet lime of Indian origin often thought to be a hybrid of limetta and lime. A group of scientist at the University of Catania found the Palestine Sweet lime to be a cross of sour orange and citron and therefore to have the same parental origin as the lemon.
The Indian sweet lime has less sugar than for example a sweet orange but it has almost no citric acid and therefore tastes sweeter. To some people the taste feels insipid.
The tree has big shiny leaves that are often cupped or rolled. The fruit is large for a lime and usually has a pronounced nipple. The color turns orange-yellow when fully mature.
It is one of the few limes that can be enjoyed fresh. In India the fruit are also cooked whole and eaten as a dessert or preserved either pickled or as a jam. The Palestinian coast and Egypt have also long been areas where this sweet lime is traditionally grown.