It is said that the ripest lemons should be washed well and then cut lengthwise into quarters - not all the way through, so that they stick together at the base. You need to pour a lot of salt into the cuts and place the lemons very tightly in the jars. After a few days, the lemons will become limp and should be tamped even further so that they are completely covered with salty lemon juice. If lemon juice is not enough, then it should be added. In a month, the salted lemons will be ready to eat.
What's the problem? Yes, it’s very simple: what they do in the Maghreb is better called not salted lemons, but pickled ones. The preservation of these fruits and the development of a special aroma occurs as a result of lactic acid fermentation. Lactic acid bacteria cannot grow in the presence of high concentrations of salt, much less in an acidic environment consisting of pure lemon juice. Accordingly, the taste of such lemons is far from Maghreb standards :)
In short, I found out everything. I talked to Algerian and Tunisian grandmothers. I discussed it with the Moroccan men - their grandmothers didn’t get in my way. Turns out, traditional recipe even easier to do!
Thank you eryv for the recipe and information.
1) Lemons need to be slightly unripe. The peels of these lemons contain higher levels of aromatics- terpenes. They will be responsible for the taste of the final product.
2) Lemons need to cut out a small, tough part where they attach to the tree.
Prick the cutout area twice with a knife. The pins are perpendicular to each other.
3) Prepared lemons must be placed loosely in a container where pickling and pickling will take place. It is convenient if this container has a hermetically sealed lid. Then the lemons are filled with a rather weak brine - 120 grams of “kosher” salt (without iodine) per 1 liter of filtered water, plus 2 tablespoons of sugar.
In theory, this is already enough, but the fermentation process is significantly accelerated if you add fennel or dill sprigs and leaves to the lemons. olive tree or green peppers. The fact is that lemons are washed very carefully, and such sterility leads to the fact that the initial concentration of the “correct” bacteria is low.
4) Now, the lemons are covered with a saucer (so that they are always immersed in the brine) and the container is closed with a lid. Just not tightly, otherwise it might burst with gases. Lemons stand for several weeks in a warm place. In my case, the full aroma develops after 6-7 weeks.
5) Co fresh lemons There are no difficulties, but with store-bought ones sometimes mold appears on the surface. Mold is not dangerous - it also occurs when cucumbers are pickled. You can simply remove it with gauze or blot it with a napkin. I like another method - once every few days, screw the lid tightly and shake the container with lemons. Salty water will kill possible fungi. Ready lemons can be stored in the refrigerator for months without any problems.
Let's talk about the aroma. The strong lemony smell comes from a small terpene molecule called limonene. This molecule is quite unstable, and its conformation and structure changes depending on conditions. The change in structure as a result of fermentation leads to a completely new smell. If an inexperienced person, blindfolded, is allowed to smell (taste) Maghreb salted lemon, then he will probably not be able to determine what it is. The lemon smell completely disappears, and a complex aroma appears in which the main shades will be the smell of bergamot, juniper, black pepper, cardamom. The combination is very unusual, but incredibly delicious :)
Therefore, when the lemons are ready, several are eaten at once. And you can even do it without bread.
This is what finished lemons look like.
They become soft with noticeably transparent skin.
Both pulp and zest are used in recipes. They have a slightly different taste - the zest gives a funny and pleasant tingling sensation to the tongue. Like Russian vigorous cucumbers, if anyone knows.
Brine can also be used in recipes, but I prefer to make kefir-yogurt-based drinks from it. I just mix it to taste - it makes an excellent drink, especially in hot weather.
And in conclusion, the simplest Tunisian recipe:
Strips of sweet baked pepper, salted lemon peel, capers, olive oil. Beauty, and in the morning you don’t need anything else!
And if you have now started studying English language or just want to improve your knowledge, I advise you to look at the link, there you will find all the exercises necessary for this, for example, what is " indirect question" and how to install it. I recommend it!
Pickled lemons widely used in Israel and several other Middle Eastern countries.
Very interesting taste such lemons that you may not like right away. Where can pickled lemons be used? You can use them to make a salad dressing. For the sauce, just take a couple of slices, add olive oil and blend (at the same time grind the lemon slices) with a blender. These lemons are very suitable for cooking fish and meat. I also like pickled lemons with rice.
How to prepare “Pickled lemons” step by step with photos at home
You need to take a container large enough to fit the sliced lemons and make it convenient to mix them. In this container mix 70 g of salt, 1 tbsp. l. sugar, 1 tsp. ground red pepper and add finely chopped garlic - 2 cloves. Sugar brings out the acidity of the lemon and helps the lemons soften.
Lemons (it is better to take with thin skin) - wash 500 g thoroughly, cut into thin slices. Then cut the circles into halves. If there are a lot of seeds, then it is better to remove most of them. It is not critical if a small part of the seeds remains in the lemons.
Then you need to put all the lemon slices in the jar (you need to put them tightly). There, somewhere on the side, put 1 Bay leaf. The released juice, salt and spices that remain at the bottom of the container must also be transferred to a jar with lemons. Leave the jar of lemons in a warm place for 3 days. You can shake occasionally so that the spices are distributed evenly. And only after 3 days, add olive oil (there is no need to add oil right away, since lemons need time to ripen). Pickled lemons are ready.
Over 20 years in Israel, I got so used to them, as if from childhood, especially since my youth I ate lemons not with sugar, but with salt (a Syrian friend at the institute became addicted)... We have these lemons something like sauerkraut or pickled cucumbers in Russia, especially since pickled cucumbers are not very popular here, unlike pickled ones. They say: Eh...well, it’s only you “Russians” who do that. Therefore, it’s strange for me to talk about an authentic recipe, for example, which recipe for pickling cucumbers or cabbage is correct and which is not. One housewife adds garlic, another adds horseradish leaves, a third adds root, and a fourth adds hot pepper. One cabbage is torn into burdocks, another with carrots and finely chopped, and the third into quarters. Same with lemons. There are ways of salting in quarters, in halves, and also in half-rings. You can add lemon juice, or you can without it. The time of their readiness depends on all this, from a week to a month. I salt them the way my second cousin's husband, a sultry eastern native Israeli, does. The recipes in my books (on Syrian, Moroccan and Israeli cuisine) revolve around the same thing, and differ mainly in seasonings and the size of the cuts) Sometimes they are loaded into jars in layers with salt and garlic, and sometimes. like me, they salt it and let it sit. I like to cut lemons into half rings: they ferment faster, and it’s more convenient to use later, and then you don’t have to cut the wet product that slips out of your hands.
Eastern cuisine unthinkable without pickled lemons. The spicy, aromatic smell is the calling card of any shwarm or falafel shop. All kinds of sauces and seasonings are prepared from them, added to salads, baked meat and chicken. You can’t even imagine what will happen to the fish if such a lemon touches it. It is impossible to list where they can be stuck. Pickled lemons came to us from Arab cuisine; they are widely used as a seasoning in Morocco and Syria.
So, the recipe...
Main Ingredients
1 kg of ripe, yellow, preferably thin-skinned lemons (about 9 pieces)
70gr. coarse salt (3-3.5 heaped tablespoons)
Olive oil
Additional Ingredients:
Garlic
Sweet paprika
Hot dried pepper, or hot Yemeni seasoning skhug, or hot paprika - Quantity as desired
Possible additives:
cardamom seeds, thyme, cloves, bay leaves, oregano, black pepper, onions...
I only use salt sweet paprika, skhug or hot pepper and garlic. But I cited possible additives found in my books and on Israeli websites for those who want to get creative. Lemons are now everywhere, so you can experiment with small jars. In one book there is a recipe for long-term fermentation of lemons, about a month. If anyone is interested, I can translate it. It is written that according to this recipe they turn out exceptionally tender.
Wash the lemons thoroughly with a brush and scald with boiling water. Cut in half lengthwise and then into slices about 1/2 cm thick. If the lemons have a lot of seeds, partially peel them.
Separately, mix the salt and paprika, add the lemons, add other seasonings as desired and mix the lemons thoroughly with your hands so that the salt is distributed.
Leave for an hour or two so that the lemons give juice and then tightly fill a pre-prepared clean scalded jar with them, pour in the juice that has been released and pour olive oil on top, in a layer of about 1 cm, to prevent molding. If there is not enough juice, squeeze the juice from the lemon and add to the top. Close tightly, shake and wait
After a few days, check and if the lemons have settled, add freshly squeezed lemon juice. The lemons should be ready in a week or two. Ready to put in the refrigerator
The only problem for me with pickling is that I start trying the very next day, and after a week there are no more ready-made ones left.
Ideas with additives partially
If you live in Russia, then sauerkraut and cucumbers are logical. Well, what if you live in Egypt or Morocco? What would you leaven there? Lemons! There are as many varieties of recipes as we have varieties of those same cucumbers.
I propose a fairly simple one. This is a specific and very interesting spicy-flavoring additive that goes well with everything that pickles actually go with.
Necessary:
Lemons (preferably thin-skinned) - 500 g
Salt - 35 g
Olive oil (vegetable) - quantity as needed
Garlic - 3-4 cloves
Sweet paprika - 1/2 tsp
Hot pepper and other spices (cardamom, bay leaf, oregano...) - optional
Preparation:
Rinse the lemons thoroughly and scald with boiling water.
To cut in half.
Halves into pieces of approximately 5 mm.
Remove the seeds.
Chop the garlic.
Sprinkle lemons with paprika, salt, and add garlic.
Mix. Leave for a couple of hours so that the lemons release juice.
Place tightly in a jar, pour oil on top so that all the pieces are covered.
It's not enough in the photo - then I added more to prevent it from molding.
Simply leave on the counter at room temperature for 7-10 days. Then put it in the refrigerator.
During fermentation, all bitterness goes away.
Don’t expect the same processes as when fermenting cabbage - you won’t see any gases or foam, lemons ferment very quietly)).
I would advise keeping them, already fermented, in the refrigerator for another week, and then eating them, so they acquire a complete taste.
What do you eat pickled lemons with?
It seems to me that the taste of pickled lemons can be compared to the impression that, for example, olives make on people who have never tried them; at first they may not like them, but then they want more and more.
I just put these lemons on a sandwich with cheese and also take them out of the jar - I really like them)))!
And with fish, or just in some salad, it’s delicious. Naturally, if you don’t like lemons or sour-salty-vigorous food, then you won’t like it, although I highly recommend making a little, half a serving, to try.
And don’t throw it away right away if it doesn’t suit you. Keep it in the refrigerator, maybe they just haven’t finished fermenting yet.