Most baked goods on sale are predominantly sweet, but one stands out for its sweet-and-tangy flavor: the lemon tart. Today we take a closer look at this bake.
The lemon tart is now sold in many cafés. It is a great choice for anyone who wants something less sugary or a more unusual flavor, and its tangy lemon kick leaves you feeling refreshed and invigorated.
The Journey of the Lemon
Before tracing the origins of the lemon tart, we first need to follow the journey of the lemon itself. The plant was first cultivated in northern India, and the word "lemon" is thought to come from the Persian limu or the Arabic laymûn.
Lemons spread to other continents along the Silk Road and through Arab traders who brought them to the Middle East, North Africa and the lands around the Mediterranean. In 1289, lemons were brought to England from Spain as a gift for Queen Eleanor of Castile.
Lemons grew more popular during the age of exploration, when sailors used them to prevent scurvy (caused by a lack of vitamin C), which led to lemon juice being produced for drinking. After the discovery of the New World (the Americas), lemon seeds were also brought over for planting, and by 1565 lemons were being grown and thriving in South Carolina.
The Birth of the Lemon Tart
It is believed that the earliest known form of the lemon tart was called lemon curd, first prepared in England by Protestant Quakers in the 18th century. The recipe travelled to North America in 1774. At that time, lemon tarts did not yet have a cream filling inside.
Some historians, however, say the first lemon tart recipe came from Elizabeth Goodwell, an American cook in Philadelphia who opened a pastry shop and created a tart filled with rich lemon custard. As the story goes, she used large numbers of egg yolks for her custard, and one day she decided to use the egg whites to make a meringue for her lemon tart, giving birth to the lemon meringue pie.
The pie was a great local success and later became popular across the United States, thanks to Eliza Leslie, a former student of Elizabeth Goodwell, who included many of Mrs. Goodwell's recipes in her own published cookbook.
