H EADLINES
Formidable Fruits: Squeezing the Most out of Etrogim
SUKKOT IS MEANT to
celebrate the beauty of imper-
manence, symbolized by the
temporary structure under
which one dwells.

However, aft er chag, there’s one
ritual item — the etrog — that
some are reluctant to part with,
as its scent is emblematic of the
holiday’s rich themes of harvest.

It’s also exorbitantly priced.

“You paid $70 for a lemon!”
said Gratz College President Zev
Eleff , who authored “Th e History
of the Etrog in America,” which
appeared in Segula magazine in
August. Perhaps because of its steep
cost, or perhaps for sentimental
reasons, Jews are turning to
creative epicurean ventures to
make the most of the citrus
following Sukkot.

Th ough fragrant, the smell
of an etrog is a bit deceiving.

Th e fruit is bitter if eaten raw,
due to the thick white pith that
dominates the inside of the fruit
below its delicate and oily rind. If
one were to squeeze an etrog and
expect juice to fl ow out of
Jews who prefer to ship
the fruit like a lemon, they
in the citrus from Israel,
would be disappointed.

preferring fruit grown for
“You can kind of think
consumption. of an etrog as a citrus fruit
In Israel, etrog farms
that puts all its energy into
abound, but because the
fragrance; it’s all about the
fruit is prone to pests and
oil,” Philadelphia-based
fungus, chemical inter-
chef and food writer Aliza
ventions must be taken to
Green said.

protect the fruit. If the rind
Yet home cooks and
becomes too blemished, the
Yaakov Rothberg, owner of Esrogei
who helps Lindcove Ranch with
chefs alike have managed California,
fruit is no longer deemed
marketing Photo by David Karp
to turn the formidable
kosher. fruit into something delicious dishes that can be made with
“Th ey’re not really grown to
anyway, using the pectin-rich etrogim are the plethora of be consumed,” said Rebbetzin
pith to create thick and syrupy varieties of the fruit.

Reuvena Grodnitzky from
etrog marmalade.

According to
Green, Mamash! Chabad in Center
Green off sets the bitterness of Moroccan etrogim are preferred City. “Th ey have a very intense
the fruit by slicing it and soaking by Sephardic Jews and aren’t level of pesticides.”
it in syrup, though etrogim can commonly found in America;
At Lindcove Ranch, however,
also be boiled — once in water the Diamonte variety, popular though some pesticides are
and again in simple syrup — to among Lubavitch Jews, is grown used, threats to the etrog trees
candy it.

are thwarted by the growth of
in the Calabria region of Italy.

Greg Kirkpatrick of Lindcove
Yemenite etrogim are the most avocado trees, which are resis-
Ranch in Lemon Cove, California, rotund; Balady, or native, etrogim tant against fungal growths.

But growing etrogim is
the country’s only commercial are grown in Israel; and within
no easy feat. Kirkpatrick has
etrog grower, suggests a riff on the Balady variety, there are
worked with local farms to grow
limoncello. Halperin, Braverman and Chazon
the fruit,
but there have been 13
By peeling etrogim rinds Ish etrogim, among others.

failed attempts.

and soaking them in the highest
Green sources many of her
proof alcohol available, one can etrogim from Lindcove Ranch,
“People just think they can
have a fragrant liqueur aft er which grows fi ve varieties of throw seeds in the ground and
about two months of waiting.

etrog and is experimenting with make a lot of money, but it just
Along with the plethora of a sixth. She deviates from many doesn’t happen,” Kirkpatrick said.

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215-832-0749 Israeli etrogim are easier to
grow, but it comes at the cost of
the etrog’s taste.

Because she sources her
etrogim from Israel, Grodnitzky
opts to dry out the fruits and use
them as besamim for Havdalah.

Before the etrogim dry, she and
her children, each with their
own etrog, pierce the fruit’s fl esh
with aromatic cloves.

Tova du Plessis, the pastry
chef behind Essen in South
Philadelphia, takes a similar
approach, boiling etrogim with
cinnamon stick and sage, or
whatever herbs and spices she
has in the house. Lavender
stems, rosemary, cloves and
eucalyptus are popular in her
household. Th e fragrance of the simmer
pot acts like a scented candle,
refreshing a space.

“It’s especially useful aft er
cooking a strong-smelling
dinner or when having people
over,” du Plessis said.

Th ough not typically edible,
etrogim from Israel still have an
advantage over their U.S.-grown
counterparts, Eleff said.

“As American Judaism
embraces Zionism more and
more ... Jews — Orthodox,
Conservative and Reform —
are taking on the mitzvah of
the etrog, not just because of
religious sensibilities, but also
because it’s in concert with their
Zionist fealty,” Eleff said.

Th ough Eleff joked about
the priciness of etrogim, he was
insistent that their lingering
beyond the holidays, whether in
the form of a snack, drink — or
even dried and piled in a bowl in
the kitchen — is remarkable.

“In a time in which there’s
a lot of questions about conti-
nuity and observance, here’s an
example of how people try ... to
extend that meaning,” Eleff said.

“Th e liqueurs and the jams and
the like are an example of how
we pour our religion into all
sorts of spaces.” ●
srogelberg@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0741
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM