Limes are like the party animals of the citrus family, the somewhat wild counterpart to the more laid back lemon.

Lemons are elegant. They sit as wedges in lovely china bowls at English teas. They gently top scones as lemon curd or are spread on toast as marmalade.

Limes, in contrast, are squeezed into salsa, paired up with spicy Caribbean jerk seasoning and mingle with tropical fruits like mango and pineapple.

There’s lemonade on the veranda or lime squeezed into Mexican beer; conversation at the bar over lemon drop cocktails or pitchers of lime Margaritas while salsa dancing.

See what I mean?

That’s not to say that lemons never get to walk on the wild side or that limes don’t ever dress up. Each gets the chance to be something a little different now and then.

This is not a negative comparison. I love lemons; they’re among my favorite ingredients in cuisine. Limes, however, are just a bit more exotic – less tame, so to speak. They’re island beaches with warm waves, steamy Asian jungles, Latin dances, pirates and rum.

One of my first culinary classes was taught at the height of summer, when sweating over a hot stove is the last thing one wants to do, so I arranged the menu as a sort of “non-cooking” class.

Cool dishes from around the world were featured and – without planning it this way – the unifying ingredient was lime. The Brazilian tropical rice salad, the Thai slaw and the fiesta black bean salad all featured lime.

Even the Greek tzatziki (cucumber-yogurt salad) and the pomegranate spritzer were flavored with lime. (Traditional tzatziki is made with lemon; this was a unique version.)

This makes sense in a way. Lime is a tropical fruit, and when the clime is warm and humid, one wants to consume cooling foods.

It’s speculated that lime, one of the original citrus fruits, originated in Southeast Asia. While lemons are a subtropical fruit, limes are tropical, needing quite a bit of heat to grow successfully.

These little green culinary gems were introduced to North Africa via Arab traders, who brought lime trees from Asia around the 10th century A.D., and the Arabian Moors brought them into Spain about three centuries later. From there, they spread throughout southern Europe during the Crusades.

Columbus brought limes to the West Indies on his 1492 voyage, where they grew and flourished in the hot, humid Caribbean climate. Cultivation spread in that region.

In following centuries, British sailors stockpiled these West Indies limes for long voyages, as the high vitamin C content prevented against scurvy, a disease that plagued seafarers due to poor nutrition. This practice earned them the name “limeys.”

Spanish explorers introduced limes into the United States by bringing Caribbean limes into Florida; hence the Key lime (also known as the Mexican lime) of citrusy pie fame.

Though the tiny Key lime was the first lime grown in our country (and the first lime tasted by Europeans), it’s the Tahitian lime, also known as the Persian lime, possibly a cross between the Key lime and citron, that is typically found in markets. There are several reasons for this.

Key limes, while big on flavor, are small - about the size of a ping pong ball – and tarter than their Tahitian lime cousins. Tahitian limes are easy to cultivate, while Key limes are more sensitive, with thorny branches that make harvesting difficult.

In addition, Tahitian limes have thicker skins, making them easier to transport and store.

Highly aromatic Key limes are sometimes found in supermarkets, but usually not on a regular basis. If you’ve got a hankering to make a Key lime pie, it might be necessary to place a special order.

This wasn’t so just after World War I, when Tahitian limes became a commercial crop and were making their way into the market. They were met with resistance, as buyers thought of them as a green lemon. Canadians were particularly resistant to giving up the more flavorful Key lime.

Limes, available year round and at their peak of season from May through October, will turn yellow – even orange with some varieties - if left on the tree to ripen. The flavor of the fruit diminishes as it yellows, however, and they’re picked at the green stage when the flavor peaks.

In Thai and other Southeast Asian cuisine, the Kaffir lime and its leaves are used to flavor dishes. This lime is characterized by a deep green color, bumpy skin, and shiny, hourglass-shaped leaves that may be frozen. Its strong, tangy juice is used in medicines in that region, and its zest flavors curries.

Some lesser known limes include the limetta, or sweet Palestine lime, a hybridized lime that’s sweet enough to be eaten out of hand, the mandarin lime with orange skin and flesh, and the Australian finger lime, with an elongated shape in colors as varied as black, brown, green, orange, purple, red and yellow.

Another lime hybridized in Australia (where a lot of lime hybridization has been going on) is the blood lime, which is not unlike the blood orange in color.

In addition to its amazingly high level of vitamin C, other health benefits of the lime have been studied.

They contain flavonoid compounds that have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. As well, these flavonoids have antibiotic effects, even preventing cholera in an African study. Compounds in citrus fruits, including limes, called limonens protect against various cancers, including stomach, lung and breast, and studies are being conducted to determine whether limonens lower cholesterol levels.

As to world cuisines, limes flavor the foods of Latin America, Mexico, the Caribbean, India, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and the American Southwest, among others.

Squeeze lime into salsa; mix it into guacamole; add it with mint or ginger to iced green tea; dress a fruit salad with it (particularly one that includes avocado, strawberries or mango); along with cilantro and sour cream, top a black bean soup with it; combine it with coconut milk and lemongrass in a Thai soup or curry; or flavor the cream cheese frosting that tops carrot cake with it.

When buying limes, choose those that are heavy for their size. The skin should be shiny and deep green. Limes will keep on your counter for about a week or in the fridge for about twice as long. (If you keep them on the counter, don’t expose them to sunlight, as the flavor will fade.)

If your limes are stored in the fridge, allow them to stand at room temperature for about an hour before juicing them, which allows the juices to flow more freely.

Today’s recipe is my version of a Thai slaw, which has the juice of a lime in the dressing. (One convenient bit of information that came forward as I was preparing the culinary class I mentioned earlier is that I found almost every lime has about three tablespoons of juice in it.)

This salad is a good recipe to have in your “no cook” repertoire for summer and is an interesting substitute for traditional coleslaw. It’s flavored with fresh mint and cilantro, and if you have access to Thai basil, throw a bit of that in, too.

The onions are soaked prior to their use in the salad to mellow their strong flavor; however, if raw onions are a problem, sliced scallions (green and white parts) are a good substitute.

Enjoy!

Thai-style slaw with Napa cabbage

6 cups finely sliced Napa cabbage (about ½ head)

1 cup shredded carrot (about one medium carrot)

1 cup peeled, seeded cucumber, finely sliced

½ cup red onions, finely sliced

½ cup cilantro, finely chopped

½ cup mint, finely chopped

Toasted sesame seeds or coarsely chopped peanuts for garnish, if desired

Dressing

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about one lime’s worth)

2 tablespoons dark roasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes

Soak sliced onions in cold water to cover for 10 minutes; drain.

While the onions are soaking, mix the dressing. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss well with the dressing to coat and combine. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds or peanuts over plated salad just before serving. Recipe by Esther Oertel.

Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif., and gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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