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Shake The Buddha's Hand, Lucky, Lemony And Almost All Fingers

By Marty Martindale

Count on it.

Take an ancient, unevolved fruit, revive it, give it a contemporary, connect it to a well-known person, maybe add a touch of the ethereal, and it’s bound to summon curiosity. We’re talking about Buddha’s Hand, the redux of Fingered Citron, Buddha’s Fingers or Fragrant Citron. Not always reasonably priced, people in the Asian world ascribe upbeat, positive qualities to this fruit. They feel the hand is an imparter of good luck, happiness, longevity and prosperity, little wonder they  place one near their cash register. 

What, exactly is it? Buddha’s Hand is a lemon-flavored fruit with no juicy pulp under its skin. Further, the Hand lacks a lemon’s bitter white pith, seeds and juice. It’s grown commercially for its fragrant zest on small three to five foot evergreen-like trees. 

What does the fruit look like, and how did it get its name? Buddha’s Hand looks like a vividly yellow, palmless human hand with far too many fingers, sometimes up to 20 gnarled fingers. Others describe Buddha’s Hand as a little like a large piece of bright yellow coral; still others say it looks like a bright yellow squid.

Historically, Buddha’s Hand is considered one of the oldest citruses originating in the foothills of the Himalayas, in India about 320 C.E. As it arrived in China, they called it “foshou,” the Japanese named it “Bushukan.” Its connection with Buddhist monks is sketchy. Gradually it became one of the earliest citrus fruits known in Europe.

Non-traditional medical practitioners offer pieces of the Hand as a stimulant, an expectorant and general tonic. Others, in Asia in particularly, used it as a showy room air conditioner. It also served as fragrant sachet pieces in chests of drawers. Its leaves tend to repel moths. 

Citron never was used for other than medicinal purposes until around 75 BCE, when Pliny the Elder wrote of soaking strips of its rind in vinegar, fish sauce and other sauces. In the first-century Marcus Gabius Apicius, early, famed nobleman and gourmand, included notes on it in his first cookbook.

These days, we are no longer limited to plain oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes. Each has acquired some interesting cousins:

From limes, Kaffir Limes

From oranges come Oro Blancos and Blood Oranges.

Grapefruit flavor greets us as the Pomelo.

Buddha’s Hand imparts a lemony flavor.

Recent promotions of these fruits turn up on innovative martini menus and on television when chefs use these fruits in demonstrations.  

We can find the yellow Hand in flamboyant produce markets. High in vitamin C, it contains little other nutrients. To buy a good one, choose a firm, blemish-free fruit with a sweet, clean fragrance. Store it in plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator crisper drawer. One keeps about two weeks at room temperature, longer refrigerated. They are available from September to March.

KITCHEN USES FOR BUDDHA’S HAND:

The rind is very thick and grated into any recipe calling for lemon zest. 

Small strips of the rind is easily candied, or turned into  homemade marmalade. 

Shave and sprinkle zest over fish, in salads, pilafs, relishes, casseroles, and soufflés.

Sprinkle in homemade quick breads and biscotti

Add to sauces, salsas, compotes and smoothies,

Use in sorbets, sherbets, desserts, puddings, confections, custards, cookies, cakes and other baked goods.

Use it to flavor liqueurs, vermouth and vodka.

Marty Martindale operates:  Food Site of the Day

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