Gennaro Contaldo - Gennaro’s Limoni: Vibrant Italian Recipes Celebrating the Lemon

Lemons are precious to me; a symbol of my beloved homeland, they stir up fond memories of my childhood as well as having a wealth of uses. They cleanse, refresh, preserve and are an absolute essential in the home.

Lemons were and still are a part of daily life for the locals of the Amalfi Coast, and even though I came to England 50 years ago, my addiction to this citrus fruit has never ceased. Obviously, I was not able to find the Amalfi variety in the UK back then, but I would always buy the best I could. And when friends and family came to visit, their suitcases would be full of the sweetest of lemons, the absolute best present to remind me of home.

I can recognize whether a lemon is from Amalfi or not rub the skin and inhale all of us from the region can tell. Of course, you dont have to use Amalfi lemons to make the recipes in this book; just buy the best unwaxed variety you can find.

It has been an absolute pleasure writing this book lemons are part of me, my childhood and my culture. Going to my hometown of Minori to shoot part of this book was a sheer joy: visiting the lemon groves, the growers themselves, and friends and family who shared their favourite lemon recipes with me. It was wonderful seeing my friend Valentino make his famous limoncello; Gabriele at the local pastry shop, who showed me how to make candied lemon peel; the chef at my favourite restaurant, for his signature fish dish; Erminia for her delicious rabbit dish; and many others. I am truly blessed to know you all and thank you for keeping alive the traditions of this indispensable citrus fruit.

I hope you enjoy recreating the recipes in this book and love using lemons just as much as I do, and, who knows, you may get addicted too, and insist on carrying a lemon with you wherever you go!

I know Im biased but the Amalfi lemon, locally known as the Sfusato Amalfitano, is like no other: a huge, elongated-in-shape, knobbly, thick-skinned citrus fruit, but oh-so wonderfully sweet and aromatic, with a soft pith that can be eaten as well. In fact, no part of the lemon is ever wasted even the leaves are used.

Lemon growing in this area has been a tradition and a way of life for a thousand years. Lemons were brought to the region from the Middle East in the tenth century, and over time, local farmers managed to cross them with local bitter oranges to produce what we know today as the Amalfi lemon. The rich, fertile volcanic soil and favourable climatic conditions of the valleys made it ideal for this citrus fruit to grow so abundantly.

With Amalfi being an important maritime republic at the time, the lemons became a highly sought-after trade item as well as an excellent source of vitamin C for sailors during long voyages. By the nineteenth century, the Amalfi lemon had gained great economic and social value for the area, and transformation of the landscape was finally complete. The once-unproductive rural land above the coastal villages had, over time, been transformed into terraces of lemon cultivation, using wood from local chestnut trees as supports for the plants, and irrigation systems were put in place. Generations of entire families owned terraces and oversaw the cultivation process from start to finish, for perfect lemons to be sold and exported.

Although the favourable conditions allowed for the growth of wonderful lemons, the location of the terraces, being high up, meant that bringing the lemons down to sea level was an arduous task. Unfortunately, in those days, this job was assigned to the women, who were known as portatrici di limoni, or lemon carriers. Thankfully, this is no longer the case, but as a young child, I remember seeing these women dressed in their long skirts, with huge baskets perched on their shoulders, carrying kilos and kilos of lemons all the way down the long, steep and often rickety stone paths. Groups of women would often make the journey together and sing, but not classic melodies, rather stories they would tell each other in a sing-song way.

Cultivation of the Amalfi lemon is still carried out using the same traditional methods that have always been used, with strict rules and regulations in place, and each lemon is still picked by hand. The lemons have been given IGP status, which provides official confirmation that they were grown in the area under strict control.

You could say I was weaned on lemons we always had lemons at home; they were essential not only in the kitchen but for all sorts of household and medicinal purposes. Studies show that the Amalfi lemon has a higher percentage of vitamin C compared to other lemon varieties and its peel has a greater aromatic potency.

The popularity of the Amalfi lemon is seen all over the areas coastal towns and villages, in the form of cakes, pastries, ice cream and the famous granita, as well as in savoury dishes. I remember as a little boy, I would often help the owner of the local caf to zest lemons for his granita so I could be rewarded with a cold glass at the end.