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 
Rob 🏳️🌈 Rartsy HumanistRMiddleton@mastodon.artOct 24, 2026, 10:29 PM@Bridgemakes @ehproque @CStamp and last night I just learned that in Mexico toranja is grapefruit!
Richard SpaceHistory PaulSpaceHistory@sunny.gardenOct 24, 2026, 10:55 PM@CStamp @Bridgemakes It only works if you shake it in four directions. If you know, you know.
M.S. Bellows, Jr.msbellows@c.imOct 24, 2026, 11:37 PM@CStamp @Bridgemakes And lemon + key lime = modern lime.
oisinoisin@mastodon.ieOct 24, 2026, 2:36 PM@Bridgemakes Nice article on citrus hybridisation here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrus_taxonomy
zxmzxm@mastodon.ieOct 24, 2026, 2:46 PM@Bridgemakes
looks at the world around us.that's about right.
Space Hobospacehobo@teh.entar.netOct 24, 2026, 4:35 PM@Bridgemakes ((also you can't make lemonade without sugar, which is never mentioned in the aphorism))
FoolishOwlfoolishowl@social.coopOct 24, 2026, 9:45 PM@spacehobo @Bridgemakes As others have mentioned, it's a weird expression because it's implicitly using lemons to represent bad fortune, when lemons are useful and valued and deliberately cultivated, so receiving lemons is actually good fortune.
JanetJanet_52square@sunny.gardenOct 24, 2026, 4:38 PM@Bridgemakes Thanks!! I saw that fact being quoted on Star Trek ’Strange New Worlds’ but didn’t think to look it up.
Sean Murthysmurthys@hachyderm.ioOct 24, 2026, 4:58 PMIf you want to make lemonade you must first make lemons.
- Carl Sagan?
Stuart Celarier ❌👑VisualStuart@pdx.socialOct 24, 2026, 5:45 PM
Stefan Rittergideonstar@mastodon.gideonstar.deOct 24, 2026, 7:19 PM@Bridgemakes
pomelo + mandarin = sweet orange
pomelo + sweet orange = grapefruit🤯
The FrogLily_and_frog@mastodon.artOct 24, 2026, 10:19 PMHang on, in french lemon is "citron", so what the heck is a citron in in English?
(Yeah, i could search it, but i don't want to waste a fish tank of water).
Guillotine Jones, FlâneurGuillotine_Jones@beige.partyOct 24, 2026, 10:56 PM@Bridgemakes
And I was watching Stanley Tucci's travelogue this past week about eating his way through Italy. He stopped at one island where a variety of lemon is cultivated that has a thick and tasty pulp. It never caught on elsewhere because the rind is warty and people can't get past that to savor the tasty fruit.
Rythurrythur@mastodon.socialOct 25, 2026, 12:04 AMSo, when life hands you bitter oranges and citron, you can make lemons?
I think I literally just confused myself.
Lot⁴⁹12thRITS@mstdn.socialOct 25, 2026, 2:25 AM@Bridgemakes Wait'll you here about limes.
