Editing Citron (section)

== Uses ==
=== Culinary ===
{{Main|Succade}}

While the [[lemon]] and [[Orange (fruit)|orange]] are primarily peeled to consume their pulpy and [[juice|juicy]] [[flavedo|segments]], the citron's pulp is dry, containing a small quantity of juice, if any. The main content of a citron fruit is its thick white rind, which adheres to the segments and cannot  easily be separated from them. The citron gets halved and depulped, then its rind (the thicker the better) is cut into pieces. Those are cooked in sugar syrup and used as a [[spoon sweet]] known in Greek as "kítro glykó" (κίτρο γλυκό), or diced and candied with sugar and used as a confection in cakes. In Italy, a soft drink called "Cedrata" is made from the fruit.

In Samoa a refreshing drink called "vai tipolo" is made from squeezed juice. It is also added to a raw fish dish called "oka" and to a variation of palusami or luáu.

Citron is a regularly used item in Asian cuisine.

Today the citron is also used for the [[fragrance]] or [[Zest (ingredient)|zest]] of its [[flavedo]], but the most important part is still the inner rind (known as [[pith]] or ''[[Fruit anatomy#Mesocarp|albedo]]''), which is a fairly important article in [[international trade]] and is widely employed in the food industry as [[succade]],<ref name="Purdue Citron">{{cite web |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/citron.html |title=Citron: ''Citrus medica'' Linn. |publisher=Purdue University}}</ref> as it is known when it is candied in sugar.

The dozens of varieties of citron are collectively known as ''Lebu'' in [[Bengali cuisine|Bangladesh, West Bengal]], where it is the primary citrus fruit.

In Iran the citron's thick white rind is used to make jam; in [[Pakistan]] the fruit is used to make jam but is also pickled; in [[South Indian cuisine]], some varieties of citron (collectively referred to as "Narthangai" in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] and "Heralikayi" in [[Kannada]]) are widely used in pickles and preserves. In [[Karnataka]], heralikayi (citron) is used to make lemon rice. In [[Kutch]], Gujarat, it is used to make pickle, wherein entire slices of fruits are salted, dried and mixed with [[jaggery]] and spices to make sweet spicy pickle.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bijora Pickle |url=http://www.jainworld.com/jainfoodrecipes/pic_bijora.asp |publisher=Jain World |access-date=2016-08-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220073239/http://www.jainworld.com/jainfoodrecipes/pic_bijora.asp |archive-date=2016-12-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the United States, citron is an important ingredient in holiday [[fruitcakes]].

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Halv sukat.JPG|A citron halved and depulped, cooked in sugar
File:Bicchiere di tassoni1.jpg|''Cedrata'', a citron soft drink from Italy
File:Citron cake.jpg|Citron torte
</gallery>

===Folk medicine ===
From [[ancient]] through [[medieval]] times, the citron was used mainly for [[traditional medicine|supposed medical purposes]] to combat [[seasickness]], [[scurvy]] and other disorders. The [[essential oil]] of the [[flavedo]] (the outermost, pigmented layer of rind) was also regarded as an [[antibiotic]].{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

The juice of the citron has a high content of [[vitamin C]] and [[dietary fiber]] ([[pectin]]) which can be extracted from  the thick [[flavedo|albedo]] of the citron.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Frederick Hardy |title=The Extraction of Pectin from the Fruit Rind of the Lime (''Citrus medica acida'') |journal=Biochemical Journal |volume=18 |issue=2 |year=1924 |pages=283–290 |pmc=1259415 |pmid=16743304 |doi=10.1042/bj0180283}}
</ref>

=== Religious ===
==== In Judaism ====
{{Main|Etrog}}
The citron (the word for which in Hebrew is ''[[etrog]]'') is used by Jews for a religious [[ritual]] during the Jewish harvest holiday of [[Sukkot]], the [[Feast of Tabernacles]]; therefore, it is considered to be a Jewish symbol, one found on various Hebrew antiques and archaeological findings.<ref>See [[Etrog]]</ref>[[File:Buddhahand2.jpg|thumb|[[Fingered citron]]]]

==== In Buddhism ====
{{Main|Buddha's hand}}
A variety of citron native to [[China]] has sections that separate into finger-like parts and is used as an [[offering (Buddhism)|offering]] in [[Buddhist]] temples.<ref>{{Cite web |title=buddha |url=https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/buddha.html |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=citrusvariety.ucr.edu}}</ref>

==== In Hinduism ====
In [[Nepal]], the citron ({{Langx|ne|बिमिरो|translit=bimiro}}) is worshipped during the [[Bhai Tika]] ceremony during [[Tihar (festival)|Tihar]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=बिमिरो पूजासँगै खाउँ पनि! |url=https://shikshakmasik.com/3599/esewa.com.np |access-date=2022-10-26 |website=shikshakmasik.com |language=ne}}</ref> The worship is thought to stem from the belief that it is a favorite of [[Yama]], Hindu god of death, and his sister [[Yamuna in Hinduism|Yami]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nasana |date=2016-10-29 |title=Decoding Bhai Tika symbols |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/lifestyle/decoding-bhai-tika-symbols-tihar-festival |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=The Himalayan Times |language=en}}</ref>

=== Perfumery ===
For many centuries, citron's fragrant essential oil ('''oil of cedrate''') has been used in perfumery, the same oil that was used medicinally for its antibiotic properties. Its major constituent is [[limonene]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Inouye, S. |author2=Takizawa, T. |author3=Yamaguchi, H. |year=2001 |title=Antibacterial activity of essential oils and their major constituents against respiratory tract pathogens by gaseous contact |journal=Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy |volume=47 |issue=5 |pages=565–573 |doi=10.1093/jac/47.5.565 |pmid=11328766|doi-access= }}</ref>