Amalfi Coast is famous for their very large and sweet lemons. The coast is full of lemon groves and every shop offers tons of lemon products.
Amalfi lemon variety is called sfusato amalfitano, sfusato, meaning “spindle,” due to its tapered shape. They are very sweet and can be eaten whole. The Amalfi lemon’s distinctive flavor has influenced the region’s cuisine for centuries.
The lemons have been in Italy since the time of the Ancient Romans. In fact, frescoes and mosaics surviving from the ancient city of Pompeii depict the Amalfi lemons.
Later, during the discovery of the Americas, region’s lemon production increased. Amalfi lemons are higher in Vitamin C and were needed for long ocean voyages to combat scurvy.
Today, the process is still the same, the lemons are picked by hand only by newer generations. What has changed is the ever increasing importance of the lemons over time tying them to Amalfi’s culture and economy.
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