Best tasting italian lemon ?

[Pandan]

I don't think I've ever tried any Italian lemons straight but I find what I've heard about them from gushy cooking recipes and magazines very appealing.

I'm thinking of buying a tree but can't decide which to get:
Santa teresa, genoa, feminello, interdonato etc etc.
Is there a difference with them between whats sold in a given US store or just hype?

[manfromyard]

Waiting on answer for this. There is not a whole lot of info on these about harvest times, flavor, productivity, etc. I'm starting to think a plain old eureka is just as good..

[pagnr]

Yes we don't seem to have many of those Italian types in Australia.
Also wondering what the leap is from Eureka fruit wise ?
They seem a bit more Citron like to me, but don't know if that is really the case.

[Pandan]

Waiting on answer for this. There is not a whole lot of info on these about harvest times, flavor, productivity, etc. I'm starting to think a plain old eureka is just as good..

Supposedly some Italian (intedonato and genoa i believe) dont have bitter rinds which makes them appealing for candying and liquour I think. But yes not a lot of actual reviews.

I love iced lemon teas but the bitter fllavor of rinds transfers into the drink pretty fast, wonder if it aa non bitter rind makes a difference

[caladri]

Leaf and peel oil content is also a differentiating factor, I believe, but I definitely don't remember a source for it. Attlee's "The Land Where Lemons Grow" (despite being kind of a mixed bag) left me wanting a few kinds of Femminello lemon; so far all I have going is Santa Teresa.

[brian]

Forum member Laaz has a collection of Italian lemons and used to post about them.  Some time ago I asked for a recommendation and Santa Teresa was one. 

I got a tree, grew it out, and it tastes the same to me as eureka & lisbon.  Maybe the difference is subtle, or it is just me.   I think mine has a bunch of fruit ripening now so I get to do another comparison

[Peep]

The Amalfi lemons are also quite famous

https://agrumilenzi.it/en/negozio/citrusen/lemons/amalfi-lemon-citrus-limon/

[Oolie]

I've only had Santa Theresa, a Femminello type.

I thought the rind had a very nice texture, also it had no bitterness or astringency you might get from a store lemon. The was no resin like you would get in a Meyer. The fruit had ideal acidity from what I can recall.

I used them in Piccatta, where the rind is cooked and consumed right along with the pulp, so it was the superior variety for me.

[martweb]

The Amalfi lemons are also quite famous

https://agrumilenzi.it/en/negozio/citrusen/lemons/amalfi-lemon-citrus-limon/

Would love to hear about Santa Teresa compared to Amalfi for jucing as well as for the rind.

[sc4001992]

I have fruits from the "FEMMINELLO SIRACUSANO 2KR LEMON" and "SFUSATO  AMALFITANO" fruits.
The Sfusato Amalfitano fruit is the nornal size fruit, not the large ones you see in some of those photos in amalfi coast markets.

I don't think I can do a good job of describing the flavor, taste. But I can take a few photos to show, and maybe taste the with pith of the rind and give you feedback on if it's bitter or not. I also have fruits from the Lisbon, Eureka, Pink Lemon, Ponderosa, Var. Pink, Meyer lemon to compare it to.
-----------------------------------------

Update:
I did ask a friend who grew up in Sicily to do a taste comparison, here's his comments after tasting the three lemons (Eureka, Lisbon, and S. Amalfitano).

1. Eureka lemon: This lemon has more bitter-tart taste than either the Lisbon or the Amalfitano lemon. The taste is robust but not too sour. There is also a slight aftertaste that is less tart and more bitter.

2. Lisbon lemon: This lemon has a less tart and more bitter taste than the Eureka or Amalfitano. The taste is robust and more sour than bitter, and it has less aftertaste than the Eureka.

3. Amalfitano: This lemon has a more complex flavor than either the Eureka or the Lisbon lemons. In terms of tartness, it is tarter than either the Eureka or the Lisbon lemon. It also has more aftertaste than either the Eureka or the Lisbon lemon. The aftertaste is very pleasant and less bitter than either the Eureka or the Lisbon lemon.

4. If I were to rank the three lemons as regards to flavor when eaten raw (out of hand) I would rate them as follows;
1) Amalfitano as the most preferred
2) Lisbon
3) Eureka, least preferred

 

[BorisR]

Amalfi lemon is not a variety, but a PGI. Usually, the Femminello Sfusato variety is used to obtain them.

[sc4001992]

Boris, a question for you on the Sfusato lemons. I read the following info from the UCR database on the FEMMINELLO SIRACUSANO 2KR LEMON.

""The 'Femminello' group of lemons is the most important group in Italy. It comprises several selections with individual characteristics. The two main sub-groups are the 'Femminello Ovale' (also known as the 'Femminello Comune') and the 'Femminello Sfusato' (also known as the 'Femminello Siracusa'). "

"The present accession, 'Femminello siracusano 2KR' is apparently a selection of the 'siracusa'"

Does this info above say the VI-692, Femminello Siracusano 2KR, is the same as the Femminello Sfusato?

[BorisR]

The nucellar lines usually have some small differences. In addition, the technology used gamma irradiation to increase mutations. The developers note a smaller number of thorns on the branches and earlier maturation. So probably not. Femminello Siracusano 2KR is different from Femminello Sfusato. But the differences are small.

[sc4001992]

ok, thank you for this info.

[mar3]

Somewhat relevant: these researchers surveyed hobbyist about high-demand varieties not found in the CCPP budwood program. (They want to reduce the chances that a hobbyist brings in a tree with HLB from out of state.) Here's what they said about Feminello:

Feminello Sfusato (Figure 4) is a major lemon variety in
Italy. Its juice is used in Italian cuisine and its skin is used to make the liqueur limoncello. Feminello Sfusato was a very common survey response and was one of the most requested varieties. Some people requested it as ‘Sfusato Amalfitano’ or ‘Sorrento lemon.’ People on internet forums suggested that they would be willing to smuggle or engage in other reckless behavior to acquire it.

[brian]

Today I picked a St Teresa lemon, a Pink Variegated Eureka lemon, and a Buddha's Hand citron and tried them all side by side.  I do agree that the Italian lemon is less bitter than the Eureka type, though I think I actually prefer the Eureka for its stronger peel flavor.  The Buddhas Hand is pretty bland compared to the others.  I have read that citrons have a stronger oil content in the rind but I am not tasting it here.