What is the name of the white part of the citrus peel? And what do the celestial bodies have to do with it? (2024)
The citrus season returns, and we certainly do not want to spend another year talking about the ‘white peel'. Also because it has a name of Latin ancestry with an amazing sound, which it shares with an optical phenomenon that speaks to us of celestial bodies: goodbye ‘white of the peel', welcome ‘albedo'. (And what about the yellow part?)
Everyone knows this: when you make limoncello, you should be careful to macerate only the yellow part of the lemon peel, aromatic and thin. It’s not good to cut it thick leaving also the innermost white part, it would become bitter. The same applies to all the recipes in which the citrus peel, in pieces or finely scraped, should be added.
Well, that white, spongy, bitter and more internal part of the citrus peel is technically called ‘albedo', feminine noun. This name presents itself as a pure Latinism, in fact albedo, in Latin, is literally the whiteness (from albus, ‘white').
read more
What Did People Do Before Refrigerators? Food Preservation Back in The Day
The Italian had already known since the sixteenth century, as a learned voice, the albedine, which had just these generic meanings referring to the white color. Instead, the recording of albedo is much later, we are talking about the last decade of the Nineteenth century, and in the botanical meaning of which we were speaking only in the 60s of the last century.
It can be said that this word has been recovered from the Latin twice: a first time in the Sixteenth century, in a broader meaning and in a more digested form (because it is not derived directly from the Latin name, but as more usual as accusative or ablative, albedinem / albedine), and a second one in the Nineteenth century, with technical and specialized meanings.
In the Nineteenth century ‘albedo' appears for the first time as a variant of ‘albedine' in the lexicon of physics, describing a characteristic of reflectivity: in short, the albedo is the fraction of light that is reflected by a body. As we know, depending on the material, the color, the surface, each body reflects a portion of light different from that which strikes it, and neither the mirrors reflect it all, nor does the Vantablack absorb it entirely.
In particular, however, we talk about albedo in relation to the celestial bodies that do not shine with their own light, and that send back a different quantity of light according to their constitution. The value of the albedo is between the limits of zero (the light is not reflected) and one (all the light is reflected). For example, in our solar system, the planet with the most notable albedo is Venus (about 0.6-0.7); curiously the moon, although it appears bright in the night sky, because of its rough and dusty surface has a miserable albedo: just 0.07. This means that it only reflects seven hundredths of the light it receives. So the moon has half the albedo of a blackboard. The Earth has a global albedo of slightly less than 0.4, but from area to area the albedo varies considerably: as it is easy to imagine, grasslands, seas and glaciers reflect differently the same light they receive.
Only in the '60s (to be precise the attestation of the meaning seems to be of 1961, that’s impressive) albedo becomes a botanical word that leads us from the celestial bodies into the orchards and kitchen, where it is the sworn enemy of the limoncello makers and of the most picky ones, who spend long minutes to clean the segments of oranges and tangerines from every trace of albedo. It will not be as succulent as the juicy part of an orange, but it seems that the citrus albedo has a great deal of nutritional virtues. But you can also be satisfied with the aesthetic virtues of the name.
And what about the yellow or orange part? What’s its technical name? It is called flavedo, name certified in 1973 (built from the Latin flavus, ‘yellow, golden'). So in the cake you have to scratch the orange flavedo. A real world of lexical refinements for blogs and videolog of recipes!
The peel of the citrus fruit consists of both the pith and the zest. The pith is the white inner part that is closer to the pulpy interior. The pith can be bitter and including it in a dish can add an unpleasant note to the flavor. In comparison to the pith, zest adds a purer more intense flavor without the bitterness.
Well, that white, spongy, bitter and more internal part of the citrus peel is technically called 'albedo', feminine noun. This name presents itself as a pure Latinism, in fact albedo, in Latin, is literally the whiteness (from albus, 'white').
The pith is the white part between the peel and the fruit. As you're eating the orange, go ahead and dig your teeth into the pith and you'll actually be getting a whole lot of additional nutrients! Although a bit bitter, the pitch is a rich source of fiber, calcium, vitamin C and immune-boosting flavonoids!
A fruit with a thick peel, such as a citrus fruit, is called a hesperidium. In hesperidia, the inner layer (also called albedo or, among non-botanists, pith) is peeled off together with the outer layer (called flavedo), and together they are called the peel.
Under humid conditions, white mycelium may form on the rind surface. The disease has a characteristic pungent, rancid odor. The decay spreads in packed containers from infected to healthy fruit.
Grapefruit is another one most of us would never think to eat the skin of, but it turns out the bitter fruit's peel is packed with pectin, a soluble fibre the human gut loves.
In some fruits, such as citrus fruits, the mesocarp includes the albedo, which you may know as the inner whitish, spongy, tasteless layer of the rind. (In Latin, albus means white.)
"The peel actually contains more fibre and Vitamin C than the flesh of the fruit," Thornton-Wood said. "It also contains the polyphenols which are linked to prevention of many chronic diseases such as diabetes." According to Thornton-Wood, extra precautions should be made if you want to eat an orange's peel.
Children: Sweet orange juice or fruit is likely safe when consumed in normal food amounts. But taking large amounts of sweet orange peel is possibly unsafe. It can cause colic, convulsions, or death.
It may infuse the water with a subtle citrus flavor and some vitamins. However, ensure the peel is thoroughly washed to remove pesticides. While it can be refreshing, don't rely on it as the primary source of nutrients. Moderation is key, as excessive citrus consumption may cause digestive discomfort.
The pith of oranges and other citrus fruits is the stringy, spongy white stuff between the peel (or zest) and the fruit. Most people strip it away before eating oranges, because they think it is bitter or inedible. Orange pith tends to be chewy, but it's tasteless not bitter.
The rind or peel of citrus fruits is divided into an exocarp or flavedo, which is the outer, colored part, and the mesocarp or albedo, which is the inner colorless (white) or sometimes tinted part.
Citrus peels are completely edible and delicious but woefully underused despite keeping blood pressure in check courtesy their potassium content while the limonene in them can help with heart burn and might have anti-cancer effects as it is a phytochemical.
Citrus peels are completely edible and delicious but woefully underused despite keeping blood pressure in check courtesy their potassium content while the limonene in them can help with heart burn and might have anti-cancer effects as it is a phytochemical.
This is none other than the orange pith, akin to the white stuff on your pomelo. Contrary to being a mere inconvenience, the orange pith serves a purpose in the realm of oranges.
The white part of the grapefruit between the flesh and skin is called the pith. This can be bitter so it is best to remove as much as you can before serving or eating. Grapefruit is arranged in segments like an orange.
Hobby: Shopping, Table tennis, Snowboarding, Rafting, Motor sports, Homebrewing, Taxidermy
Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
