Traveling to Italy from colder, darker countries, northern Europeans have long been thrilled by the country's sun-soaked warmth and its graceful citrus trees, heavy with luscious fruit. Drawing on her long acquaintance with the Mediterranean country, British gardening historian Helena Attlee tells the convoluted story of Italy's citrus industry in The Land Where Lemons Grow.
Starting with the Medici family and other wealthy Renaissance collectors of citrus trees, Attlee delves into the fruit's history and particulars: its many varieties, its peculiar naming conventions, the precise growing conditions required by certain finicky produce. She interviews growers all over the country, paying particular attention to Sicily and the island's deep, tangled connections between citrus cultivation and organized crime.
Attlee's prose evokes the sharp, zesty flavors of her subject: familiar lemons and oranges, yes, but also the more exotic citrons and bergamots. She details the many uses of citrus flesh, juice and peel--culinary, of course, but also cosmetic and pharmaceutical. Attlee roams the length of Italy in pursuit of citrus lore, visiting ancient growing sites and working orchards at harvest time--even participating in Ivrea's annual Battle of the Oranges (in which citizens pelt each other with fruit). Sprinkled throughout the text are citrus-centric recipes, gathered from the farmers, historians and restaurateurs who have dedicated their lives to the "curious fruit."
Though the botanical information can get a bit technical, this fascinating history will have readers scouring their local markets for plump lemons and juicy oranges. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams