Menton Lemons IGP
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Citron de Menton — IGP-protected lemons from the town of Menton on the French Riviera, where the Maritime Alps meet the Mediterranean. The IGP was granted in 2015 and restricts production to a small defined area around the town, where terraced groves climb the hillsides above the coast. The microclimate here is unusually mild for its latitude — the mountains block the cold northerly winds, the sea moderates temperature from the south, and the terraces themselves create sheltered growing pockets that allow citrus to fruit through the winter in a way that is not possible even a few kilometres inland.
What makes a Menton lemon different from a standard supermarket lemon is immediately apparent when you cut one open. The pith — the white layer between the zest and the flesh — is thick, soft, and notably sweet rather than bitter. In most lemons the pith is papery and acrid and you discard it; in a Menton lemon it is edible and forms part of the eating experience. This means the entire fruit can be sliced and used whole — in salads, in drinks, preserved in salt — without any need to remove the white layer first.
The juice is less aggressively acidic than a standard Eureka or Lisbon lemon, with a rounder, more floral quality. The zest carries a high concentration of essential oils — you can feel this when you press the skin between your fingers and the surface releases a fine spray of oil that is intensely fragrant. This oil concentration is what makes Menton lemons particularly valued for zesting, for limoncello-style preparations, and for candied peel where you want the lemon flavour to carry through the sugar rather than disappear beneath it.
The Fête du Citron — the annual lemon festival in Menton — has run since the 1930s and draws large crowds each February. It is built around enormous sculptures constructed from citrus fruit, and whatever else it is, it reflects the degree to which the town's identity is tied to its lemons.
Store at room temperature for up to a week, or in the fridge for longer.
Origin: Menton, Côte d'Azur, France
Ingredients: Menton lemons (Citrus limon).