History of Lemonade - Essay Example

History of Lemonade History of Lemonade Lemonade is a bracing drink delighted by individuals of all ages all aroundthe world. It is made with water as the major ingredient while lemon and sugar in desirable quantities and it is quite easy in preparation. Various versions of this basic lemonade can be enjoyed in different parts of the world. In certain places it is often flavored with carbon dioxide and used as a soft drink. Lemonade History It has been claimed by Krueger (2003) that the broadly accepted view is that three primitive species had been existed including pumelos (Citrus maxima), citrons (Citrus medica) and mandarins (Citrus reticulata) and rest of the kinds of citrus available today would have originated due to sequential or single hybridization events amongst the offspring of these species or amongst these species (Krueger 2003). The very initial uses of lemons were recorded in the Mediterranean region where it was employed as a decorative plant within the initial Islamic gardens. It is difficult to track the development or progression of lemon plant from its place of origin Northern Burma and Assam to China, across the Arab world and Persia to the Mediterranean region due to the adaptability of lemon to hybridization. This adaptability of lemon has induced issues for the food historians, the horticulturists as well as for the taxonomists. Though the citron (a fruit similar to lemon with very small juice or pulp, very dense rind and larger in size) appears to have been cognized before the Christ by the prehistoric Jews, and from them possibly disseminated in the Mediterranean, but the lemon does not seem to have been cognized in pre-Islamic times. Various writers have made various claims regarding the origins of lemons but most seem invalid as some related them to the ancient Rome (Giacosa, 1994). It is actually citron that has been mentioned by writers. Moreover, the Roman mosaics depict citrus fruits that resemble to lemons and oranges, but this picture manifest is not backed by any literary or paleo-botanical evidence (Dalby, 1996). The initial clear literary proof of the lemon plant in any language can be dated back to the Arabic work of the Qustus al-Rumi in the early tenth-century in his composition on farming. However, towards the end of the 12th century, a formal exposition on lemon was written by Ibn Jami, who was the personal physician of Saladin (a great Muslim leader), later the frequency of mentioning lemons increased in the Mediterranean. Nevertheless, it is considered that the initial lemons were primitively cultivated in the semi-arid, hot Deccan Plateau located within the central India. The name “lemon” is thought to have originated from Persian, similar to the Sanskrit word nimbuka. There cultivation can be traced back to Genoa, Italy during the fifteenth century, and came along in 1494 in the Azores. In the carcass of Pompeii, lemons have been identified by researchers (Russell and Cutler 2004). Moreover, lemons had been once utilized by the British Royal Navy to fight scurvy, as lemons are a good source of Vitamin C. Lemons had been known to the Egyptians during the fourteenth century. It seems that the lemonade, all-United States summer drink, would have originated in the medieval Egypt. Though the lemon arises beyond the east, lemonade might have been invented in any of the eastern nations as the most initial written proofs of lemonade the earliest written evidence of lemonade appears from Egypt. Lemonade was prepared by Egyptians around 1,500 years ago. This famous drink was named as “qatrmizat” and was consumed during the period from tenth to thirteenth centuries. Egyptians peasants have been recorded to have been drinking a wine made from dates, honey and lemons during the fourteenth century. The foremost indication to the lemon within Egypt can be traced in the accounts of the Persian traveler and poet Nasir-i-Khusraw, who imparted a precious record of Egyptian life in under the reign of Al-Mustansir, Fatamid caliph. During 1104, lemon juice was considerably traded. From the Cairo Geniza’s documents it is known that bottles of qatarmizat, lemon juice, made with huge amounts of sugars were both consumed locally as well as exported to other nations (Goitein, 2000). It is said that lemons were initially discovered in China, Burma and North India and later introduced into the Arab countries, Persia, Egypt and Iraq during 700 AD. But due to its first record been found in the Egyptian scripts therefore it is suggested to have been originated from Egypt. At the beginning, ‘lemonade’ implied a drink prepared from lemons. It is considered to have been originated from France or Italy where it was prepared and sold in the early seventeenth century. The fruit is known in Italian as ‘limone’ while ‘limonata’ is the term used to refer the drink prepared from lemons while it is known as ‘limonade’ in French. During the eighteenth century, French was considered a very fancy and smart language all around Europe and hence was frequently conversed; therefore, words from French were adopted by many languages and similarly the word ‘limonade’ was brought in first to German and Russian language from the French later on to the language of Estonia as ‘limonaad’. Nowadays, different variants of ready-made drinks of lemon are readily available in the markets. However, all the types can be distinguished into three main kinds cloudy, clear and fizzy. The clear assortment is made either in plain water or in carbonated soda without mixing any sugar. This variant was quite famous beverage within the European states; nevertheless, the sweet variants are also available in the European markets. Fizzy lemon, on the other hand, is prepared from soda, utilizing either artificial or natural lemon flavor while the cloudy variant is a conventional drink prepared with sugar, lemon and plain water and is typically found in United States, Canada and India. One of the most popular versions of lemonade available in United States is Pink lemonade. This version is usually prepared from beet juice and is much sweeter than usual. The origin of pink lemonade is often linked with certain funny tales like Pete Conklin’s lemonade was contaminated by a pink dye that dripped from the tights of a horse rider during a circus performance in New Jersey. Since Pete didn’t had ample time to prepare it again, the same contaminated drink was offered to the customers and was warmly accepted. While another tale linked to the origination with the lemonade prepared by Henry E. Allot when a cinnamon candy was accidently dropped in it. Though there is no certain evidence regarding the origin of pink lemonade but it is enjoyed by majority of people. Nowadays, individuals prepare it by mixing natural juices of cherries, grapes, strawberries and red grapes (Kitchen Daily, 2012). Nowadays, lemonade is not only offered as an individual beverage but is also found in combinations with different hard drinks as well as cocktails. It is one beverage that is found all over the world and is cherished equally in each country. It is often placed upon stands during summers by children to earn money in the United States. References Dalby, A. (1996). Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece. London and New York: Routledge. Giacosa, I. G. (1994). A Taste of Ancient Rome. University of Chicago Press. Goitein, S. D. (2000). A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza, Volume 4.University of California Press. Kitchen Daily. (2012). Pink Lemonade: The Story behind Its Pink Color. The Huffington Post retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/10/why-is-lemonade-pink_n_1503570.html Krueger, R. R. (2003). Citrus fruit. In S. H. Katz and W. W. Weaver. Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. New York: Schribner. Russell, T., and Cutler, C. (2004). The World Encyclopedia of Trees. London: Lorenz. Read More