If your orange comes from Brazil, your grapefruit from Mexico, and your lemon from Italy, no wonder these countries are among the top producers in the world. In France, some exceptional citrus fruits have managed to find a place for themselves in the southern sun: the lemon from Menton, the citron from Roussillon or the clementine from Corsica.
The secret of a good citrus fruit is the perfect balance between sugar and acidity. To achieve this, the producer constantly carries out analyzes until the ideal sour taste is obtained. In Corsica, Jean-André Cardosi produces organic clementines which benefit from a protected geographical indication:
“The fine de Corse is a variety with a very thin skin. It is tree-ripened, unlike most hot countries, and no treatment or conservation or maturation is applied.”
After the transition to organic, the yield decreased in quantity, but the quality is there and the producer says he is largely a winner and happy. It provides the best tables in France. Thus the pastry chef Pierre Hermé buys lemon caviar from this citrus grower based in Luguizetta, in the eastern plain of Corsica.
“The interest of this lemon lies in its grains, which burst under the tooth when you eat the macaroon, and gives a sensation of acidity which arrives under the tongue. Citrus fruits allow to perfume, I love that.” Pierre Hermé who recounts his life odyssey in a very beautiful book, with some of his favorite recipes: All the flavors of lifepublished by Buchet-Chastel.
Rarer citrus fruits are also produced in Roussillon, at the Bachès farm, taken over five years ago by a young couple, Perrine and Etienne Schaller, who continue to work around exceptional fruits: yuzus, Boudha hands or combavas . Here too, an address prized by the greatest chefs.