New Food of the Month: Key Limes

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

July’s new food of the month packs a lot of punch into a little package, for it offers not only a cool and refreshing taste, but also an interesting history: the Key lime.

Share this tidbit with the sea-faring mates at your house: To combat the dreaded scurvy that affected sailors long-at-sea in the eighteenth century, the British navy guzzled over one million gallons of lime juice. Imported cheaply from the English colony of Jamaica, the sailors would often drink their required ration of lime juice with rum. Why limes instead of lemons? Britain was not on good terms with the Mediterranean countries that exported lemons, so they used limes instead. And ultimately that’s how British sailors got to be called limeys—in an attempt to meet their body’s needs for vitamin C.

For their healthful effect, it probably doesn't matter whether these sailors were squeezing Key limes or Persian limes (the commonly found grocery store variety). These types differ in both size and taste: Key limes are similar in size to a ping-pong ball. They originated in Southern Asia where they’ve been cultivated for thousands of years and were treasured for both their aromatic tangy fruit and attractive foliage. Traders and travelers (such as Columbus) are credited with introducing the key lime to Haiti. Some of these were later brought to Florida by Spanish settlers where the compact trees grew well in the rocky, alkaline soil. Flavor wise, key limes are extremely aromatic with a rich, pungent taste.

But don’t let finding the actual fragrant key limes stop you from experiencing lime’s summer goodness. For even if your local market only has the larger Persian limes—similar in size to lemons—their tangy goodness is also filled with vitamin C, potassium and vitamin B1. An alkaline fruit like lemons, they make a good substitute for vinegar to complement a wide variety of foods from meats and fish to marinades, syrups, sauces and preserves. And if your kids want to set up a lemonade stand this summer, try making a pitcher or two of limeade for the perfect taste bud teaser. Or try half lemon and half lime for a popular twist.

According to Rebecca Wood of The Whole New Foods Encyclopedia, “An authentic Key lime pie consists only of Key lime juice, egg yolks, and condensed milk in a graham cracker crust.” When the kids and I created this fun dessert (see below) to try key limes, we didn’t realize how close we were to Wood’s definition of the real thing. With just six small graham cracker ready-crusts, this pie filling mixes and bakes in less than half an hour. Easy as 1-2-3, it’s a great way to try key lime pie, without artificial preservatives that abound in the prepared market versions. Plus it makes a refreshing dessert just when the summer is starting to heat up.

Serves/Makes: 6

• 2 eggs
• 1 can (14 ounce size) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup key lime juice
• 6 mini graham cracker crusts