Oct 24, 2026, 11:09 AMWait, wait, hold up a second.
I just found out that lemons are not a natural fruit but a deliberately cultivated hybrid between citron and a bitter orange.
Guys! Life didn't give us lemons we made them ourselves!
- Oct 24, 2026, 11:09 AM
Replies
CarolynCStamp@mastodon.socialOct 24, 2026, 11:59 AM@Bridgemakes Huh. “Citron is one of the original citrus fruits from which all other citrus types developed through natural hybrid speciation or artificial hybridization.”
Núcleo Irradiadorehproque@neopaquita.esOct 24, 2026, 3:41 PM@CStamp @Bridgemakes the False friends in their names is hilarious if you know Spanish and their neighbour languages; it seems like every citric has one of three variants but they're assigned to a random fruit in each language
- Núcleo Irradiadorehproque@neopaquita.esOct 24, 2026, 4:20 PM
@CStamp @Bridgemakes
" In Indo-Iranian languages, it is called toranj, as against naranj ('bitter orange')"
Catalans: so we are going to call oranges toranja
Spaniards: We're going to name oranges naranja
Portuguese: we're going to call pomegranate toranja 
M.S. Bellows, Jr.msbellows@c.imOct 24, 2026, 11:37 PM@CStamp @Bridgemakes And lemon + key lime = modern lime.
Stuart Celarier ❌👑VisualStuart@pdx.socialOct 24, 2026, 5:45 PM
Coffee (Team CW)Coffee@toot.cafeOct 25, 2026, 10:49 AM@Bridgemakes I always knew this was utter bullshit.
I mean, when has life ever _given_ you lemons? If I want any, I have to go out to buy them, and they're not cheap neither.
Oct 25, 2026, 10:51 AM@Bridgemakes Do you have a source for it being deliberate? I've only been able to find mention that it's a hybrid, not that it's a hybrid created by humans.
