What Is A 'True Lemon' And How Is It Different From A 'Rough Lemon'? - Tasting Table

"There are many different kinds of lemon breeds out there, though you probably only know about two or three off the top of your head. There are the ones you see in the produce department of the grocery store, pink lemons (which may have been created by accident) for pink lemonade, or even the Buddha's hand lemon (which is technically a citron)."

"A true lemon is different from a rough lemon for several reasons, but the most obvious is the difference between the way the two fruits look. A true lemon will be relatively small, smooth, oval-shaped, and come to a delicate point at the end, whereas a rough lemon will be larger, bumpy, and more leathery-looking. True lemons have more fruit and less pith, while rough lemons have the opposite."

Lemon varieties fall into three general categories: true lemons, hybrids, and rough lemons. True lemons are relatively small, smooth, oval-shaped, and come to a delicate point, with more fruit and less pith; they are notoriously sour with a small to moderate number of seeds. Rough lemons are larger, bumpy, leathery, contain more pith and seeds, and taste sweeter despite higher acidity. Common grocery-store types include Lisbon, Eureka (with subspecies such as Allen and Frost), and Meyer lemons. Meyer lemons are sometimes considered hybrids rather than true lemons and true lemons like Eureka and Lisbon are cultivated for cooking and baking.

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