How to choose the right lime?

Lime belongs to the category of exotic fruits, but in stores it can be purchased at any time of the year. There are many varieties of lime, but three varieties are considered the most popular: Florida, Persian and Mexican. Fruits differ in size, in the presence and number of seeds inside, as well as in minor nuances of the shape of the fruit.

Lime color can be:

• green;
• yellowish green;
• dark orange.

Orange lime is still a rarity in the Russian markets, but you should not refuse to buy it. This variety has a taste that resembles lemon and tangerine at the same time. There is practically no bitterness in such fruits.

How to choose a lime

When buying a lime, you need to evaluate the appearance of the fruit and their density. If the fruit visually seems withered or spoiled, then you should not buy it. Limes have a bitter taste, and unripe, overripe, or spoiled fruits will have flavor characteristics that make them difficult to eat.

What lime can you buy:

• the surface of ripe and high-quality lime is always smooth, with a characteristic shine and without depressions or bumps;
• the color of lime is always even (spots of any shade indicate the immaturity or spoilage of the fruit);
• ripe lime fruit is firm, but not firm;
• when cutting lime, the granules that make up the pulp should be clearly visible;
• the pulp of ripe lime is always juicy;
• when buying a lime, you should not pay attention to the size of the fruit (different varieties of fruit mean different sizes, and the largest lime can reach a diameter of 9 cm);
• you can buy lime with a rich green color (even if the fruit is not ripe, you can eat it, but the bitterness in it will be more noticeable);
• it is better to buy Persian lime from May to August (in the remaining months there is a risk of buying fruits that end up on the shelves after long-term storage and the use of chemical compounds to extend the shelf life);
• the shine of the lime peel should be natural (if the fruit is too shiny, then this may be a sign of using paraffin to extend the shelf life, and the inside of the fruit may already be spoiled);
• The aroma of ripe and quality lime should be felt even through the skin.

Lime skins may have brown spots that resemble bloom or streaks. Do not confuse such signs with decay. The brown color should only be present on the top layer of the rind. This symptom may be the result of a natural sunburn of the lime. After that, the fruit does not become spoiled, and the nuance does not affect the taste properties.

Which lime to buy is not worth buying:

• if there are spots of any shade on the surface of the lime, you should not buy such fruits;
• beaten or deformed fruits are also not recommended;
• you can not buy lime with the first signs of rotting;
• you cannot buy lime with a damaged skin (bacteria are actively developing at the site of damage and it is not recommended to store such fruits);
• if the lime is soft, then inside it is spoiled;
• lime with signs of drying or wilting is not worth buying, because there will be little juice in the fruits (wrinkled peel is not a sign of spoilage of lime, but is the result of its improper storage);
• there are practically no vitamins in dried lime fruits (the more wrinkled the fruit, the less juice and nutrients it contains);
• you should not buy lime with black dots on the skin (none of the varieties of these fruits imply such a sign, and dots can appear only when affected by diseases, insects or parasites);
• if the scent of lime gives off dampness, rot or mold, but outwardly the fruits do not look spoiled, then you should not buy them (extraneous odors indicate improper storage of the fruits or the beginning of the decay process inside them).

Outwardly, the lime fruit resembles a lemon. Often on sale you can see hybrids of lime and lemon, which are called “limonolimes”. The ripeness and freshness of these fruits should be assessed in the same way as regular limes. The taste of lemon lime is much sweeter than its closest counterparts.