Finger limes - citrus caviar

"Slender, gnarly and filled with tiny, tangy jewels that burst in the mouth, finger limes are as intriguing as they are delicious."

Max Veenhuyzen - The Guardian Australia

I had to accompany my husband to Bunnings today, so whilst he was examining the solar lights I visited the garden section to top up with some plants for my various pots. And whilst there I noticed some finger lime plants. I wasn't about to buy any as I know full well that I would kill them, and they were a tiny bit pricey too - around $30.00 I think. Not that this is unreasonable for a rare and specifically Australian fruit. I also vaguely remembered that it came from the north somewhere so thought it probably would not thrive here in Victoria anyway. Still there it was in Bunnings - how much more mainstream can you get? And it was getting noticed. A mother and daughter stopped and stared and wondered what on earth it was. So I told them it was the latest thing and apparently very tasty. Which was the sum total of my knowledge at the time.

I now know a little more and so I shall repeat what others have said better and more comprehensively. The Guardian is a very good starting point if you want to know more.

I'm really not that sure whether I think it looks really pretty or somehow rather gruesome. There's something mildly obscene about these images of little round things bursting out of an unappetising looking fruit that SBS Food said:

"somewhat resembles an unwanted surprise from your dog on your lawn" Sophie Verass, SBS food

But then a lot of other delicious things do not look that tempting initially. They don't look all that prolific on the tree either, which is also a bit off-putting to me when thinking of growing my own. These look a bit more phallic, even condom like. Really not attractive. Maybe it's been a hard sell. But the celebrity chefs seem to love it - and now Bunnings is selling them, then maybe there is a real future for them.

And if the emphasis is not on the cascading little bubbles you can see why it is a citrus fruit - or maybe a pomegranate. Is that related I wonder? Must look it up.

I have been dimly aware that this is one of Australia's bush foods which may actually be a commercial winner because it is so delicious and so unique. As to recipes, Paul Wilson of Bondi's cult restaurant Icebergs, says:

“Mother Nature’s done everything for you. When you taste the lime, it’s got this lovely sweet and sour perfume, is very balanced and doesn’t need much else. We use finger limes on oysters, but I also like using them on margaritas so you get that lovely waft of native lime with your first mouthful ...

Once you cook finger lime, it becomes like any other lime, really, and loses its delicate flavour and texture. It’s something I believe is best used as a condiment or a garnish or in cold sauces.”

And when I looked for recipes they do indeed mostly pop up as a garnish or in an uncooked sauce - such as Kylie Kwong's Deep Fried Chicken with Finger Lime Sauce - probably the most interesting recipe I saw, though somebody used it in a lime curd.

And yes it does come from the north - specifically the rainforests of Northern NSW and southern Queensland. Unfortunately most of this was cleared and it was almost lost, but a few trees survived and eventually somebody discovered how wonderful they were. Maybe the Aborigines told them. And so now there are a few orchards producing them. I don't think I have ever seen them for sale as a fruit down here, but apparently they are big in California, which has planted its own orchards. I also saw that the fruit fly is a threat - so maybe I should be hastening back to Bunnings to buy my own. If you could manage to grown them you would have something really original to use every now and then. But then I don't like oysters, or margaritas come to that. But when we have our luxury escape week in Port Douglas later this year I shall have to look out for it.

And it is botanically a citrus.