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    THE HISTORY OF THE LEMON
    Legend has it that when she and Adam were driven out of the garden of Eden, Eve picked a lemon and took it away with her. Fearing God's anger, Adam told her to throw the fruit away, and so she buried it in a place as heavenly as Eden itself, the Baie de Garavan. That's how the first lemon tree sprang up on Earth, in the Menton region...
    The virtues of the lemon have been known for thousands of years. The earliest record of the presence of this citrus fruit dates from 2,500 years BC in the north of India.
    Cookery manuals from Pompey's era already mention lemons.
    Lemons were then cultivated in China and South-West Europe, in the Middle-East and finally throughout the Mediterranean basin, thanks largely to the crusaders, who popularised them.
    In the Middle Ages, the discovery of their effectiveness against worms and scurvy made them a precious commodity. Many human lives were saved thanks to the introduction of lemon juice into the diets of sailors decimated by scurvy.
    Previously lemons had been cultivated solely for decorative purposes.
    Ancient pharmacology adopted the lemon well before its culinary uses were discovered.
    Traditional knowledge is nowadays borne out by science. Biochemical analysis shows that lemons are rich in substances which promote human health, and they are used abundantly in medicinal preparations.
    Theophrastus, the Greek philosopher and scientist, was the first to describe the therapeutic virtues of the fruit in his famous botanical work on the history of plants “...lemon is useful in cases of poisoning and it sweetens the breath...”.
    Following Theophrastus's suggestions, many doctors in antiquity sung the praises of the juice or a decoction of lemon as a cure for bad breath.
    Lemons were also considered to be an excellent antidote to poison: Pliny, Dioscorides and Theophrastus all agreed on their effectiveness against all the lethal poisons.
    In the 1 st century AD Dioscorides, a military doctor who was mainly interested in official botany, recommended ground lemon seeds mixed with wine as a laxative, and for pregnant women he advocated lemons to combat “desires”.
    In 40 AD, Scribonius Largus, personal physician to the emperor Claudius, recommended treating gout with a poultice of lemons cooked in vinegar, then crushed and mixed with aluminium sulphate and myrrh.
    Claudius Galenus, one of the most renowned physicians of antiquity who lived in the second century AD, considered lemon zest to be a tonic for the stomach “if ingested in small quantities.”
    In 250 AD, the poet Martial extols a famous cough syrup composed of lemons, liquorice, rosemary, dates, figs and several other fruits.
    The Greeks and Romans were not the only ones to appreciate the preventative and medicinal properties of lemons. Before them the Chinese and Assyrians had left accounts of citrus fruits being used in this way.
    Wherever lemons have been encountered, they have been appreciated for their beauty, perfume and therapeutic properties.
     
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    LEMON CULTIVATION
    The lemon tree (Citrus Limonum) is a shrub belonging to the family of Rutaceae, which is well-adapted to the temperate climate of the Mediterranean basin. The tree is very sensitive to cold; it can be grown in the garden, preferably sheltered from the wind and with good exposure to sunlight. The plant tolerates high summer temperatures well, provided it is frequently and abundantly watered. Manuring in spring and autumn increases its productivity.
    Those not lucky enough to have a garden can buy it in a pot and place it on a sunny balcony. Potted lemon trees do not grow very big but they can bear fruit all year round if they are well cared for. In winter, care should be taken to bring them inside, or protect them with a protective winter sheet if the temperature falls below 12°c.
    The fruit is roughly oval in shape, with a skin which is more or less thick depending on the variety. When