It was many years ago. Once a favorite servant of one of the Caucasian kings of Khosrov for some kind of fault fell into disgrace. The enraged ruler ordered to immediately put his servant in jail and at the same time ordered the guards to feed the prisoner with only one type of food. When asked what kind of food, Vladyka, having mercy on himself, answered: "Let him choose himself." Of course, the prisoner had nothing to do but fulfill the Tsar's will. And he did it. He asked me to give him ... lemons. And he explained to the puzzled guards, ready to hear any answer, but not this one: "The aroma of lemon will amuse me with thoughts, the skin of fruits and grains will be useful to my heart, in the pulp of lemon I will find food for myself, and I will quench my thirst with juice."
Now it's hard to say whether this was actually the case. But one thing is certain: this ancient legend accurately reflects the significance that these fruits had for our ancestors.
At least 3000 years ago, people knew about lemon and used it not only for food, but also for medicinal purposes, as well as for carrying out some ritual ceremonies. So, for example, the ancient Greeks, admired by the aroma and color of lemon, made it the emblem of festivities during weddings.
The name "lemon" comes from the Malay word "lemo". In India, this fruit is called "nimu", and in China "limung", which means useful for mothers.
According to botany, the birthplace of the lemon is India, where it grows wild in mountainous areas, at the foot of the Himalayas, from where it later landed in the countries of Southeast Asia and much later - to Europe. In Russia, they really met lemon only in the second half of the 17th century, when their trees were first brought from Holland to Moscow and planted in the Kremlin's "Ranger Chambers". At the beginning of the XVIII century. in the landed estates, the "fashion" for the cultivation of lemon quickly spread with the aim of obtaining fruits.