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Fruits & Vegetables

Finger Lime

Botanical Name: Citrus australasica
Family: Rutaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Sapindales
Genus: Citrus
Species: C. australasica

Synonyms:
Citrus australasica var. sanguinea F.M.Bailey
Microcitrus australasica (F.Muell.) Swingle

Common Names: Finger Lime, the Australian finger lime or caviar lime

Habitat:
Finger Lime is a thorny understorey shrub or small tree of lowland subtropical rainforest and rainforest in the coastal border region of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia.

Description:
The plant is 2–7 m (6 ft 7 in–23 ft 0 in) in height. Leaves are small, 1–6 cm (0.39–2.36 in) long and 3–25 mm (0.12–0.98 in) wide, glabrous, with a notched tip and crenate towards the apex. Flowers are white with petals 6–9 mm (0.24–0.35 in) long.These trees grow to be thorny and are known to produce very unique finger shaped fruit known as the finger lime. The fruit grows as long as 12cm with a green yellow shaded skin and fleshy pulp inside it. This fruit can also sometimes produce a pink ? red flesh that occurs absolutely naturally to them The fruit is cylindrical, 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) long, sometimes slightly curved, coming in different colours, including pink and green.

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It has edible fruits which are under development as a potential new commercial crop

Edible Uses:
Finger limes are a delight to eat. The most important application of finger lime is by using it cooking various dishes, but the most popularly accepted method of consuming finger limes is by eating it raw or used as a garnish with the main dish. The food that goes best with finger limes are seafood, chicken. Spirits melons and cream based desserts to add a tinge of sourness to the dish. Adding a finger lime on an oyster shooter takes the dish t whole new level as it adds slight crunch and lots of flavour that escalates the dish to be the star of the menu. Grilled salmons and seared scallops are other two sea foods that goes really well if complimented with finger limes. Another treat made better by finger lime is by slicing avocado or melons and sprinkling finger lime caviar on top of it, followed by a dash of sea salt. This makes an amazingly refreshing afternoon snack in the summer season. As lip smacking as they taste finger limes are a sign of sophistication to cocktails and spirits as they use them as floating garnish. The caviar of finger lime is also used to garnish sushi, cheesecake, ceviche, Grilled shrimps or any other dish that requires an outburst of flavours. Mainly citrus flavour.

Health Benefits:
The king of citrus fruits are none other than limes and lemons. Citrus fruits are known to be abundant source of Vitamin A, which is also reflected to be one of the most important antioxidant. Our body needs Vitamin A which is essential vitamin in protecting your cells against various diseases, even as seriously as cancer. People with poor and sensitive vision look for Vitamin A rich food to improve their vision. Disorders like night blindness can also be avoided by adequate consumption of Vitamin A. abundance of potassium can be found in finger lime, potassium is very effective in combating high blood pressure. People with hypertension make sure to add finger lime caviar in their meals to avoid any further health issues. The development of kidney stones can be highly avoided by the presence of potassium in the body, as we know finger lime is a power house of potassium it can largely be avoided making consumption of finger lime an often practise. The reason behind the formation of kidney stone is no rocket science. Kidney stones are a result of accumulation of calcium in one’s kidney which leads to the formation of stone like structures. Potassium keeps the level of calcium in our body under check and hence leads to lowering the risk or formation kidney stones. Many terminal diseases such as breast colon, and prostate cancer can be avoided.Also known for is rich presence of Vitamin D this fruit helps in the formation of stronger teeth and bones. This fruit helps majorly in keeping the blood count in check.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrus_australasica
https://www.fruitsinfo.com/finger-lime.php

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