Lemons

[The Gentleman Scamp]

Anyone who's partial to the occasional Bombay Sapphire & tonic or Bloody Mary, will know that having one without a decent thick slice of fresh lemon would be like having Thailand without sunshine.

To this day, Thai's adamantly insist that the small green lime shaped fruit that tastes like a lime is a lemon, but it's not the same is it, come on - it may work okay on prawns and salads but it's not the same as the lemons we know and love, the big yellow ones that have nipples on each end.

It's not as if the climate is wrong, so why have I never seen a lemon in Thailand?

I have seen Israeli newspapers, Maltesers and at least five variety's of Cussons Imperial Leather soap but still nothing to put in my drink or squeeze on my prawns.

I do recall seeing them on a visit to Vietnam once but only in urinals.

[taxexile]

do recall seeing them on a visit to Vietnam once but only in urinals.

thats how they marinate them before putting them in your bombay sapphire and tonic.

[Kan Win]

not the same as the lemons we know and love, the big yellow ones that have nipples on each end.

It's not as if the climate is wrong, so why have I never seen a lemon in Thailand? 

I have seen Israeli newspapers, Maltesers and at least five variety's of Cussons Imperial Leather soap but still nothing to put in my drink or squeeze on my prawns.

I do recall seeing them on a visit to Vietnam once but only in urinals.

Your quote (I do recall seeing them on a visit to Vietnam once but only in urinals.)

Maybe they preferred their Limes to the ones that you mentioned. And then they Bogged them….. LOL

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Me think, if I remember correctly, one man in Nan (Thailand, North East) grew them many years ago, but they were very spotty and no nipples at each end. Shame really, no nipples ………………

Look in your local Supermarket, maybe they have some, when they are in season………….. with nipples, of course…………

and maybe you Kan Win Cheers......

P.S. Nice post BTW, me think

[Kan Win]

Or perhaps, Dublin Bay Prawns (Scampi) hmmmmmmmmm with real Nippled (Yellow) Lemons … Outstanding……… of course………..old boy.

A true Gent you are Scamp….. to think up this Fred…..

[penzman]

Reminds me of the LEMON GREEN convenience stores. Their signs show a yellow lemon...

[chingy_]

i agree that lime is not lemon, different taste, but the Thai use only lime, i went to the store ask for lemon they show me lime, and tell me that this is lemon.

[mbkudu]

I have had serious battles with my wife on this subject. She along with most Thais

insist that what they have in Thailand, round, green citrus fruits are lemons when

translated in English from Thai. In my Thai dictionary, ma naou=lemon, lime. They

are clearly different fruits, but she just won't listen.

[Jeff1]

I know what you all mean.

My wife calls the small green fruit ( lime's to us ) limons.

I give up !

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I know what you all mean.

My wife calls the small green fruit ( lime's to us ) limons.

I give up !

I'd give up too. Bring a real lemon tree from abroad and wow the natives

[duncaw]

Just to confuse the issue a little, in a supermarket I visited in Singapore recently they sold:

Lemons (yellow ones we are familar with)

Limes (green but lemon shaped) and

"Thai Green Lemons"

They have lemons in Villa market

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Just to confuse the issue a little, in a supermarket I visited in Singapore recently they sold:

Lemons (yellow ones we are familar with)

Limes (green but lemon shaped) and

"Thai Green Lemons"

They have lemons in Villa market

You've changed the lives of the real lemon lover's. Their drinks will be real again

[mbkudu]

I know what you all mean.

My wife calls the small green fruit ( lime's to us ) limons.

I give up ! 

I'd give up too. Bring a real lemon tree from abroad and wow the natives

Could this be the resurrection of the Farang Lemon God? I'm not sure if he has been surrected already, but he could be ressurected if so.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I know what you all mean.

My wife calls the small green fruit ( lime's to us ) limons.

I give up ! 

I'd give up too. Bring a real lemon tree from abroad and wow the natives

Could this be the resurrection of the Farang Lemon God? I'm not sure if he has been surrected already, but he could be ressurected if so.

We can all drink Gordon's Gin and Schweppe's tonic ( with real lemon ) to toast the miraculous and glorious event.

[maerim]

but she just won't listen.

Wow, you have a missus that won't listen, how unsusal.

Have you informed the Guiness book of records about this yet?

It's got to be a first.

[chanchao]

When we're done with the lemon vs. lime thing, can we do oranges vs. tangerines?

A tangerine is NOT an orange...!!

[mbkudu]

How about Prawns/lobsters? Goong/Goong Yai.

[chanchao]

There's different names for shrimp-like critters in Thai as well.. Kung Mangkorn = lobster. Then there's "Kang" and loads of others.

See for example: http://www.doae.go.th/library/html/detail/...3/kung/crab.htm

[chingy_]

you use lemon on lobster, and lime on prawn

[mbkudu]

you use lemon on lobster, and lime on prawn

Now that makes perfect sense!

[Doisaketmoobaan]

For people in chaing mai Tops Central airport sells lemons for 80 baht

Try to make chicken Piccatta with thai limes doesnt work only the real thing works -Rv

[NedKelly]

I have seen citrus fruits being grown in Thailand using a grafting method where they take the top part of a tree and graft it onto the base and root system of an Australian citrus fruit tree.......why......because the Aussie trees are hardier and will adapt to any conditions.....but the result is Thai style fruit.......bloody cheats !! haha ! So intheory.....we should be starting up lemon farms, with a bit of edcuation and product development we could make a fortune in Asia......

[dr_Pat_Pong]

And a get a large gutful of those Gin and Tonic's liberally garnished with real lemons. And count our money in a bit of a drunken haze.

[The Gentleman Scamp]

So intheory.....we should be starting up lemon farms, with a bit of edcuation and product development we could make a fortune in Asia......

Oi, steady on - that was my plan before I started this post, I thought of it first.

That said, if they are available in Villa then it's back to square 1.

[NedKelly]

No worries scampy......its all yours...just get the trees from Australia and whack em in the ground out in Issan.......sure to be a goer......they lik ea dryclimate.....of course the wet season would meanthey need to be in a raised bed situation but thats easily done with a bulldozer before you plant.

Then you can brew your own Gin and sell it all in a package......... gin, can of tonice and a lemon......all on sale in the local mini mart. I reckon every rice farmer would be sitting under a gum tree before long watching the sun set, with a locally produced G+T in hand and whistling mournfull tunes to his buffaloe !!

[tutsiwarrior]

for cooking purposes (other than grated lemon skin) limes seem to do the trick...same tartness and acidity. Once I bought what appeared to be lemons in a Hero supermarket in Jakarta to find that the juice was sweet! I must admit that as a garnish it is hard to give up what you know.

Now there used to be lemon juice packaged in a plastic lemon shaped container that was available everywhere...

[Boon Mee]

you use lemon on lobster, and lime on prawn

And I put a lime in my Corona beer, not a lemon!

[bina]

ok, where is plachon the agriculturalist:

in israel, all fruit that are like limes but not are lemons (limon); i got served key lime pie (for u americans that are in the know) made with: lemon, albeit green unripe puny ones but not heavenly lime. we also have 'etrog' which is something bewtween small and green and egg shaped to what i got given today, gigantic yellow and rumpled but with a lime like smell. i think its a citron?

tangerines are what we call clemantinas? what do thai call them? som?

and last, what are cherries really called: i looked it up in the dict. and it said: 'cherry' (in phonetic thai, cant read thai);

but my workers say that what we have been eating and they have been hand picking is: red/burgundy, sweet like wine, what americans call dark cherries, they call davan, i thought that that is short for the hebrew duvdavan but they said not so. so, how do i say sweet cherries (no sex/virgin jokes ) in thai...??

whatever, does any one here have a reccommendation for finding out names of edible plants from thailand, i have to translate to english and then hebrew (w/preferrably latin botanical names)?

such as the million kinds of basil;

all kinds of wierd green leaves that taste great cooked but i cant i.d. baa buak?

bobok? (round leaves like lotus leaves but grow on land, and are slightly bitter);

and lastly,

how can a falang pronounce the word for banana and the word for buffalo w/o making a fool of her self and actually saying she wants to eat or see the male member (issan slang)

[tutsiwarrior]

bina...what you got in Israel are location specific varieties of fruits and veges that were developed to hold up to the climate and with low irrigation requirements...not the same as what you got in Europe or in the US or in Thailand hence maybe the confusion regarding generic names.

I am a big Elmore Leonard fan and he describes 'key lime pie' in his novels that are localed in Florida...mouthwatering. Would you use the local thai lime variety for this purpose or something else?

[ka12345]

i got served key lime pie (for u americans that are in the know) made with: lemon, albeit green unripe puny ones but not heavenly lime

Hmm, I think key limes are more like Thai มะนาว than lemons.

http://www.keylime.com/diff.html

[bina]

tutsi, these are the real thai veggies from thailand, brought over as seeds in suitcases and sent in mail from wives: long long beans; different kinds of eggplants; and these round flat leaved slightly bitter plants : bobok?

anyway, i have the most amazing garden on the kibbutz, as does my zoo since we put in thai seeds where ever there was a small amount of dirt..... so lots of people are asking me what all these veggies are....

i know its cliche, but the food i ate in issan was the best w/or w/o real lemon, i actually gained weight (i went up to 47 kilo)

i also ate shellfish for the first time in 20 years!!! seventh heaven...

i think the thai lime is the key lime.....

now, what the word for sweet cherry, in thai and transliteration.....

maybe i should post this in the language area??