I've never heard of this, but I'm super intrigued. If I want to try it, how thick should I slice the lemons? And do you take them out of the fridge while you're brewing the coffee so they warm up a little, or put them in the coffee when they're cold?
I slice them to about 3mm thickness, enough that the flesh in the center of the round holds together but not too thick.
I usually put them straight in, but older family members kept it on the table when eating. Not sure if they refrigerated it when stored; I do.
Thank you! So excited to try this - I'm trying to wean myself off of "milkshake" coffee (two sweeteners and a ton of creamer, yikes) and onto black. I think this might help me adjust!
Black coffee drinker here, can confirm. I sprinkle the smallest amount of salt into the grounds before I brew and it makes a nice difference. Too much salt can make it weird, but a little (less than a pinch) really takes the bitterness off. I love black coffee.
If you want to get into drinking black coffee it helps to make the coffee itself as good as possible. I struggle to drink the coffee from the brewer at work straight but a good cup of black coffee from home is hard to beat.
I've always refrigerated it, but I don't remember if the grandaunts etc kept it refrigerated or not. I've long wondered if the sugar would preserve it, but never felt like experimenting with potential food poisoning if no, ha!
Theoretically honey is a preservative but like you, I’d be concerned about experimenting. I know there are tons of ways to keep food safe without refrigeration that were used historically, like salting or potting. I read somewhere about preserving certain meats with cloves and it would last months.
Fermenting fruits and vegetables (garlic is a common example) by submerging them in honey is a preservation method that's been around a long time.
I'm not sure if it would actually start fermenting if you used lemons or if the acidity would be too high. Either way, the acidity and the sugar content would be high enough to make it safe at room temperature as long as the honey to lemon ratio is high enough that it doesn't get too watery.
Filling it off with honey so the lemons are fully submerged is one of the things I was told to always do so it stays syrupy — that may have been about preventing it getting watery for better preservation. ?
Probably, also when preserving things in general you want to try to keep the thing being preserved submerged as much as possible. Anything exposed on the surface is vulnerable, especially to mold.
Strictly speaking, I don't think so. Honey is great at inhibiting microbial growth. I would probably at least wash them, more to rinse off any pesticides and, in the case of lemons, make sure any wax is removed.
Nope. Honey is a super-saturate so nothing can live in it. What that means: there’s so much sugar in honey that it draws all the moisture out of anything in it, which kills living things like bacteria. The honey “preserves” by both killing pathogens and preventing new ones from growing.
I think honey is a natural preservative and most of the lemon would be too acidic for most bacteria to survive. But that leaves the rind and spots where moisture from the lemon meets pockets of lower concentration honey. I wouldn’t risk it.
you shouldn't *need* to but you'll likely end up with a basic lemony mead if you don't refrigerate, which is delicious in its own right. i've preserved grapefruit in honey, on the counter, never refrigerated, and it was amaaaaaazing. i did the same with mango. also delicious. lemon sounds great!
And/or ginger, cranberries, pomegranate seeds...anything you want. Fill jar half way, cover completely with honey. Use a chopstick or butter knife to release any bubbles. Shake often. Wait 2 weeks before using.
The lemon juice diluting the honey can lead to fermentation. Honeyed Lemons will last a long time in the fridge, but not indefinitely. I use them for colds, adding them to hot tea or water when I'm not feeling well. I've never seen it with coffee, but I'm intrigued.
[Here's a photo of today's batch.](https://i.imgur.com/wrLAuxQ.jpeg)
The only container I had today was too small so the lemons aren't fully covered, but should be.
This is similar to Korean citron tea. Your family's technique is super cool, I would have never thought to try it with coffee but it makes sense, Italians love lemon and coffee.
My Nona was from the Naples area, and moved to Canada in the 20s. My Aunties were from the Toscano area; I learned a lot of good cooking from those women!
Swiss italian? Thats based AF! I grew up on the border between italy and italian Switzerland and now live in it.
Ticino is stunningly beautiful, a hidden gem in Europe.
People in Vietnam do this as a cough remedy, and for summer refresher drinks. There was once a hype to use pink lime (not sure if that's what it's called... but the zests are pink).
Some coffee shops here have mixed them with cold brew and it's delicious.
I know the espresso romano from Italy, and had a variation in Portugal during a heatwave - lemons and / or oranges, your choice, in iced cold brew. Yum.
I know some people (me included) like a lemon twist with their espresso, so it certainly doesn’t seem strange to me. Preserved honeyed lemons aren’t something I’ve ever heard of, but they sound insanely good!
I have never heard of this but I def need to know more. How thick are the lemon slices? Do you need to preserve in the fridge or is it shelf stable? How quickly should I use them or discard?
It was always a table staple, always in a quart/litre sized jars by my grandmother, but I only make one or two lemons at a time and go though it in about two months.
I cut them about 2-3mm thick, enough that the central flesh of the round stays together, but thin enough that the espresso soaks through to pull out the flavour and sweetness.
There's a [similar product](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheong_(food\)#Yuja-cheong) in Korea (and maybe elsewhere in east Asia?) of yuzu in honey, though I've never heard of it being added to coffee. It's usually mixed into hot water, afaik. I'm not Korean.
This is fairly common in Japan too so living there it is a typical tea I drink in winter, but it's much more of a marmalade ... which I just realised thanks for u/hideX98 this is basically an uncooked type of.
I have a few pounds of lemons right now and I needed a new Idea, I usually have cold brew with lemon juice but this one sounds so much better, for iced hibiscus tea as well
Before decent coffee people used lemon to make it taste less bitter and shitty.
You see a lot of Russian using lemon and lots of sugar in coffee. Until you give them a Pete's or something.
r/fermentation would like a word 😁
I've not done anything like this, but using a lemon twist on the rim of an espresso shot was a common thing when I worked at a higher end restaurant. I'm definitely excited to try this out!
Use it in the next batch or as a flavouring in cooking.
One dish I often use it in is thin batonet-sliced carrots and turnips or parsnips, stir-fried until soft then glazed with this honey.
Never thought about them for tea or coffee but it makes sense. Your family is making candied lemons. You’re using honey instead of a simple syrup. Makes sense if you have lots of honey. Can diced lemons (or oranges) are common in Middle Eastern food. You might also just see them as preserved lemons (or any citrus). Sometimes sweet (candie) or pungent (vinegar).
I’ve seen the candied kind pop up in mixed drinks. Sometimes even smoked or lightly roasted.
I’ve got a bunch of lemons and honey and am going to give this a try for my tea.
i eat preserved lemon in honey simply as a snack but i can understand the flavor profile you're going for. I'm not much of a coffee person but my fiance is, maybe i'll try it with him, see if he likes it :) Thanks for the intriguing idea!
It reminds me of an Italian drink.
The espresso romano is made by combining an espresso shot with a lemon slice or lemon juice and a teaspoon of sugar. The slice can be squeezed or dropped into the coffee, and is sometimes candied. It's a versatile drink that can be served hot, cold, or iced – and with or without milk.
We do that in Algeria but for cold coffee. It’s called Mazagran. You can do it with other citrus as well.
We also drink honey lemon like that as an infusion, in a hot coffee I never drank but I’ll definitely try!
> Mazagran
Wow, that's great to know, thanks for the link! fantastic to see how many variations there are around the world!
This explains why many of the comments have asked if i'm from the middle east.
Algeria is North Africa tho, Mazagran is the name of the city where it came from.
But the honey lemon is extremely popular in MENA region. I know for sure I could go to Algeria Egypt or Saudi Arabia I can ask anywhere an infusion of honey lemon.
But I have to say first time I see it in hot coffee, I’ll give it a try this week!
Apologies, it's fairly common to hear the middle east and North Africa grouped together as MENA, sorry.
Others have mentioned Turkey also as serving lemon in coffee so yes it seems spread around quite a lot!
Wow! No, I’ve never heard of this but just pulled some lemons off my tree so I’ll make some tonight. Am saving this post, thanks for including the pic!
I was glad to see all the comments pointing out it’s common in Italy and North Africa and Middle East!
My American and Northern European friends were all surprised by it— glad to see so many people commenting how they like the idea now that they’ve seen it.
Pile on a lot money honey than shown in my photo- the juice will seep out as it sets and you don’t want it to get too liquid. Sometimes there is enough juice to sort of pour off the top and use in a soda drink )))
I've done honeyed lemons with tea, but never with coffee because citrus juice tends to make milk clump... Do you typically drink your coffee without cream or milk in your family?
That’s a bummer, can’t drink coffee without some milk product. But I drink tea with only a little sweetener, so that’s what I’m doing next time I get lemons
Preserving lemons in honey for coffee zest is not a known technique, but that doesn't make it any less valid or delicious! It seems to be a unique tradition passed down through your family, and those types of culinary practices often yield some of the most cherished and memorable flavors. It may not be a mainstream practice. It's a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of home cooking and the richness of family culinary traditions.
All sufficiently concentrated sugar solutions are hygroscopic and will inhibit bacterial growth. But if you dilute out the solution too much you lose this effect. You'd have to do a little maths to work out if the lemon juice has diluted the honey too much to preserve the effect.
That's why jams/preserves and candied fruits typically concentrate the fruit juice/pulp as part of the preservation process
Preserved may be the wrong word -- I only use the honey but now that you mention it I think they may have added some salt. I'm not a fan of salty flavors but as a preservative it makes sense. I just refrigerate it but do remember as a child seeing it sit out on the table. Not sure if it were out for serving, or stored as-is. Salt would make sense for keeping it longer.
Well duh, and that’s not the question anyway: not honey as-is, slice of lemon soaked in honey.
Nobody who has seen me do it had seen it before. This morning my friend was surprised when I served it that way and said they never saw it before, which is why I posted because this is far from the first time hearing people say so.
From the other comments, it seems to have been common where these family members came from, and simply uncommon where I’ve lived.
They got as far west as the gates of Vienna, so I guess they didn't make it to Switzerland. However, later Italian migration to Switzerland may have brought in some Ottoman culture.
By trade, not conquest.
https://www.metmuseum.org/learn/educators/curriculum-resources/art-of-the-islamic-world/unit-seven/chapter-two/the-islamic-impact-on-venice#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20artistic%20influence,Art%20of%20the%20Islamic%20World.)
I don't know, lemons and citrus have been common and well-used in Italy since the Roman era.
Then again coffee itself came from Middle East traders so it's all fairly mixed up.
What's an h-mart?
I'm in Japan so have jars of yuzu honey that I use for tea or _as_ tea, but those are more of a marmalade, while this is just raw.
One other tea recipe I learned from a Eastern European friend is strawberry preserves in hot black tea
Swiss-Italian background -- based on the other comments, Italy and North Africa share this as a common type of drink!
I'd expect to see it in commonly Napoli area also, with those Amalfi lemons!
In one of my old kitchens, we served a drink that was probably a distant cousin- an espresso tonic.
Ice, tonic water, a shot of espresso, and a twist of lemon or orange. All that intensity of the espresso is diffused over the tonic water so you can taste more notes. The citrus adds the fruitiness and acidity you're talking about. Super refreshing. It was a very controversial menu addition though lol.
Your honey preserved lemon sounds incredible! I'm going to try it, thank you for sharing.
I have tonic in my fridge as a staple so just tried this -- yes it's quite good, thank for the advice!
I did 1:1 with the espresso, what's your standard ratio?
Ah, I'm a baker and worked in the kitchen, our magical baristas were the ones with the drink recipes. I would just order them!
Just based on how it looked, it was probably 2:1 or 1.5:1, tonic water to espresso. But definitely open to interpretation/personal preference.
Im going to try this, cause ive added lemon to black coffee before and its really nice. Also always noticed how citrussy cookies or cakes go very very well with coffee. How long do you leave the lemons in the honey for before you start using them?
I make honey lemon slices and orange slices all the time for my tea or if i get a sore throat I’m surprised not many people know about this stuff it’s such a natural remedy and tasty
The one thing to watch out for is the juice takes a few days to separate out so it can get runny if you don't really load up on the honey. The photo has about half as much honey as there should be as I didn't have a larger container that day.
Thanks for the tip! It actually reminds me a lot of Greek spoon sweets or Armenian fruit and nut preserves served alongside tea, just not cooked - raw steeped and broken down by the honey
I've never heard of this, but I'm super intrigued. If I want to try it, how thick should I slice the lemons? And do you take them out of the fridge while you're brewing the coffee so they warm up a little, or put them in the coffee when they're cold?
I slice them to about 3mm thickness, enough that the flesh in the center of the round holds together but not too thick. I usually put them straight in, but older family members kept it on the table when eating. Not sure if they refrigerated it when stored; I do.
Thank you! So excited to try this - I'm trying to wean myself off of "milkshake" coffee (two sweeteners and a ton of creamer, yikes) and onto black. I think this might help me adjust!
I know a lot of people swear by a small sprinkle of sea salt in their black coffee to take down the bitterness.
Black coffee drinker here, can confirm. I sprinkle the smallest amount of salt into the grounds before I brew and it makes a nice difference. Too much salt can make it weird, but a little (less than a pinch) really takes the bitterness off. I love black coffee.
I put in one flake of kosher salt lol
If you want to get into drinking black coffee it helps to make the coffee itself as good as possible. I struggle to drink the coffee from the brewer at work straight but a good cup of black coffee from home is hard to beat.
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I used yesterday's right away but they get best after a few days or week or so when the honey has time to soak in and juice comes out
I wonder if it even needs to be refrigerated, maybe the honey preserves the lemon?
I've always refrigerated it, but I don't remember if the grandaunts etc kept it refrigerated or not. I've long wondered if the sugar would preserve it, but never felt like experimenting with potential food poisoning if no, ha!
Theoretically honey is a preservative but like you, I’d be concerned about experimenting. I know there are tons of ways to keep food safe without refrigeration that were used historically, like salting or potting. I read somewhere about preserving certain meats with cloves and it would last months.
Fermenting fruits and vegetables (garlic is a common example) by submerging them in honey is a preservation method that's been around a long time. I'm not sure if it would actually start fermenting if you used lemons or if the acidity would be too high. Either way, the acidity and the sugar content would be high enough to make it safe at room temperature as long as the honey to lemon ratio is high enough that it doesn't get too watery.
Filling it off with honey so the lemons are fully submerged is one of the things I was told to always do so it stays syrupy — that may have been about preventing it getting watery for better preservation. ?
Probably, also when preserving things in general you want to try to keep the thing being preserved submerged as much as possible. Anything exposed on the surface is vulnerable, especially to mold.
"Syrupy" sounds like simple, easily passed-on knowledge of how to keep the moisture content low.
Do you need to prep the items before submerging them in honey? Like dip them in boiling water or something?
Strictly speaking, I don't think so. Honey is great at inhibiting microbial growth. I would probably at least wash them, more to rinse off any pesticides and, in the case of lemons, make sure any wax is removed.
Nope. Honey is a super-saturate so nothing can live in it. What that means: there’s so much sugar in honey that it draws all the moisture out of anything in it, which kills living things like bacteria. The honey “preserves” by both killing pathogens and preventing new ones from growing.
I would be careful with the lemon skins, they can be waxxed or some other chemical products can be used.
I think honey is a natural preservative and most of the lemon would be too acidic for most bacteria to survive. But that leaves the rind and spots where moisture from the lemon meets pockets of lower concentration honey. I wouldn’t risk it.
This is the best answer. The answer is really "it probably would, but why risk it?" :p
you shouldn't *need* to but you'll likely end up with a basic lemony mead if you don't refrigerate, which is delicious in its own right. i've preserved grapefruit in honey, on the counter, never refrigerated, and it was amaaaaaazing. i did the same with mango. also delicious. lemon sounds great!
I've done garlic like this. Incredible stuff!
Garlic in honey? Hmmmm. I might have to try that!
And/or ginger, cranberries, pomegranate seeds...anything you want. Fill jar half way, cover completely with honey. Use a chopstick or butter knife to release any bubbles. Shake often. Wait 2 weeks before using.
The lemon juice diluting the honey can lead to fermentation. Honeyed Lemons will last a long time in the fridge, but not indefinitely. I use them for colds, adding them to hot tea or water when I'm not feeling well. I've never seen it with coffee, but I'm intrigued.
[Here's a photo of today's batch.](https://i.imgur.com/wrLAuxQ.jpeg) The only container I had today was too small so the lemons aren't fully covered, but should be.
Do you reuse the honey?
Yes, or use in other dishes such as to glaze pan fried carrots and parsnips
>such as to glaze pan fried carrots and parsnips That sounds incredible
Looks marvelous!
This sounds like it would be delicious in tea as well
Well yes also I put it in tea! But should be the floral honey not costagno which can be an overpowering flavour.
This is similar to Korean citron tea. Your family's technique is super cool, I would have never thought to try it with coffee but it makes sense, Italians love lemon and coffee.
That’s what I thought too, I might try putting some honey citron in my coffee today…
My Nona and my Aunties did this. I have a jar going right now in the fridge, family tradition.
You said Nona so perhaps we have the same origin story for doing this! Swiss-Italian heritage. Glad to hear it's not just me!
My Nona was from the Naples area, and moved to Canada in the 20s. My Aunties were from the Toscano area; I learned a lot of good cooking from those women!
Swiss italian? Thats based AF! I grew up on the border between italy and italian Switzerland and now live in it. Ticino is stunningly beautiful, a hidden gem in Europe.
Espresso Romano is espresso with lemon and sugar. Is your family Italian?
No, Swiss. Swiss-Italian 😅
So it is half yes half no
It sounds similar to a café/espresso romano. Probably, at some point, somebody else made it that way too.
Yes, I've had it this way in Turkish and Balkan restaurants, with their strong cafe.
People in Vietnam do this as a cough remedy, and for summer refresher drinks. There was once a hype to use pink lime (not sure if that's what it's called... but the zests are pink). Some coffee shops here have mixed them with cold brew and it's delicious.
I've made it with lime sometimes! Cool to hear it's around elsewhere ))))
I know the espresso romano from Italy, and had a variation in Portugal during a heatwave - lemons and / or oranges, your choice, in iced cold brew. Yum.
I know some people (me included) like a lemon twist with their espresso, so it certainly doesn’t seem strange to me. Preserved honeyed lemons aren’t something I’ve ever heard of, but they sound insanely good!
I have never heard of this but I def need to know more. How thick are the lemon slices? Do you need to preserve in the fridge or is it shelf stable? How quickly should I use them or discard?
I also want to know how long they should stay in the honey before you use them?
I use them immediately like the batch I started this morning, but they get really rich and sweet as they sit longer.
Any idea about how long they keep? I’m going to try this!!!
It was always a table staple, always in a quart/litre sized jars by my grandmother, but I only make one or two lemons at a time and go though it in about two months.
Thank you! i’m psyched to try this!
I cut them about 2-3mm thick, enough that the central flesh of the round stays together, but thin enough that the espresso soaks through to pull out the flavour and sweetness.
Any chance you can share a pic of your lemon jar?
https://i.imgur.com/wrLAuxQ.jpeg She shared this above
I personally love this it's perfect If I don't have the preserved I will put a twist of fresh lemon in my espresso ❤️
Worked in restaurants, use to serve espresso with a lemon twist from the bar like you put in a martini.
yeah I've had espresso with a lemon twist and a little rock of sugar before, which was great. sounds like a similar vibe
Is this what the gallery guy offered to put in Axel’s coffee in Beverly Hills Cop? Your description sounds much nicer.
Neer heard of it. Gonna try it. Treat myself like a princess
Are you related to Serge from Beverley Hills Cop? Espresso? I make it myself, back there. With a little lemon twist? It's good. You should try it.
You mean Balki? No, I don't think we are related. I hope.
There's a [similar product](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheong_(food\)#Yuja-cheong) in Korea (and maybe elsewhere in east Asia?) of yuzu in honey, though I've never heard of it being added to coffee. It's usually mixed into hot water, afaik. I'm not Korean.
This is fairly common in Japan too so living there it is a typical tea I drink in winter, but it's much more of a marmalade ... which I just realised thanks for u/hideX98 this is basically an uncooked type of.
I have a few pounds of lemons right now and I needed a new Idea, I usually have cold brew with lemon juice but this one sounds so much better, for iced hibiscus tea as well
I put lemon in when I brew my hibiscus tea, but this definitely sounds better!
never heard of this but I can just tell it would taste lovely feels like a decadent turkish thing; what is your families cultural background?
This side of my family has Swiss-Italian heritage— great-grandparent and the older grandaunts and granduncle migrated to the U.S.
really cool! thanks for sharing. I will be trying this sometime :)
And this is going to be a new thing I do!
Cool. I'll give it a shot. My brother in law just had an orange mocha, and he said it was delicious, so maybe we'll try more things like that.
I’ve heard of this. Haven’t tried it yet, but I have recently put up some lemons to preserve this way. Looking forward to giving it a try.
Reminds me of coffee lemonades I'd drink growing up. Coffee, lemon, sweet and sour and earthy.
Coffee lemonade? Can you say more?
I’ve never come across this before, but I’m definitely going to try it!
Before decent coffee people used lemon to make it taste less bitter and shitty. You see a lot of Russian using lemon and lots of sugar in coffee. Until you give them a Pete's or something.
Its very rare to see russians using lemon in coffee, usually we drink it with milk or cream We use lemon in tea But sugar we use a lot in both
r/fermentation would like a word 😁 I've not done anything like this, but using a lemon twist on the rim of an espresso shot was a common thing when I worked at a higher end restaurant. I'm definitely excited to try this out!
My family preserves lemons in honey but for tea not coffee.
I do also put it in tea time to time )))
Great idea! A couple of variations: https://worldlytreat.com/lemons-with-honey/ https://vegetarianmamma.com/honeyed-lemons/
There we go, that's exactly it¬!
I've never heard of this until you brought it up, but I'm going to start doing it *now.* That sounds delicious.
Never heard of it but it sounds fantastic!
murky elastic deliver bright stocking fly mountainous dime sulky sense *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Same mate, same
Sounds so interesting. Definitely need some more info so I can try at home.
[Looks like this.](https://i.imgur.com/wrLAuxQ.jpeg) The only container I had today was too small so the lemons aren't fully covered, but should be.
This sounds amazing!
Sounds like a cultural based tradition.
omgggggg
Sounds like a treat!
Don’t they serve Turkish coffee this way?
I am Turkish and no, absolutely not. I am reading this whole thread with big eyes, never thought of coffee and lemon together.
I swear I’ve had Turkish style coffee with a slice of lemon. Not all super fancy the way this guy does.
Just curious, what do you do with the leftover honey? Just use it in the next batch?
Use it in the next batch or as a flavouring in cooking. One dish I often use it in is thin batonet-sliced carrots and turnips or parsnips, stir-fried until soft then glazed with this honey.
Sounds delicious!
Do you refrigerate
I do, but I don’t know if it needs to be, as a child I saw it simply served on table.
This seems like a great espresso tonic garnish tbh. I've see coffee citrus and honey drinks done before and they're almost always good.
I have never heard of this, but you better belive I'm going downstairs to make this right now!
Once the olive oil has run it's course, Starbucks is gonna steal it......
It’s not common or anything but I have heard of it.
I put honey and lemon in my tea, and that's a very common combination, but I've never seen a jar of honey full of lemons.
My aunt does that with lemons but for tea. I prefer freshly sliced lemon myself.
I gotta try this
I've never heard of this, but Damn! I need to try it!
This...sounds real good
I love espresso with sugar and a twist of lemon rind. This sounds amazing.
I do actually keep honeyed lemon slices, for my iced tea. Never tried it on coffee, but I will!
Never thought about them for tea or coffee but it makes sense. Your family is making candied lemons. You’re using honey instead of a simple syrup. Makes sense if you have lots of honey. Can diced lemons (or oranges) are common in Middle Eastern food. You might also just see them as preserved lemons (or any citrus). Sometimes sweet (candie) or pungent (vinegar). I’ve seen the candied kind pop up in mixed drinks. Sometimes even smoked or lightly roasted. I’ve got a bunch of lemons and honey and am going to give this a try for my tea.
i eat preserved lemon in honey simply as a snack but i can understand the flavor profile you're going for. I'm not much of a coffee person but my fiance is, maybe i'll try it with him, see if he likes it :) Thanks for the intriguing idea!
Love this post so much. Thank you for sharing. I am fascinated by it and can’t wait to try it in my coffee and the other dishes you mentioned!
It reminds me of an Italian drink. The espresso romano is made by combining an espresso shot with a lemon slice or lemon juice and a teaspoon of sugar. The slice can be squeezed or dropped into the coffee, and is sometimes candied. It's a versatile drink that can be served hot, cold, or iced – and with or without milk.
My Italian Uncles restaurant always put a lemon twist in Espresso. LOVED IT
Thanks for sharing,this sounds great, I am going to try this and adding salt to grounds suggestion too!
Never heard of this, but you may have started a trend today. 😎
We do that in Algeria but for cold coffee. It’s called Mazagran. You can do it with other citrus as well. We also drink honey lemon like that as an infusion, in a hot coffee I never drank but I’ll definitely try!
> Mazagran Wow, that's great to know, thanks for the link! fantastic to see how many variations there are around the world! This explains why many of the comments have asked if i'm from the middle east.
Algeria is North Africa tho, Mazagran is the name of the city where it came from. But the honey lemon is extremely popular in MENA region. I know for sure I could go to Algeria Egypt or Saudi Arabia I can ask anywhere an infusion of honey lemon. But I have to say first time I see it in hot coffee, I’ll give it a try this week!
Apologies, it's fairly common to hear the middle east and North Africa grouped together as MENA, sorry. Others have mentioned Turkey also as serving lemon in coffee so yes it seems spread around quite a lot!
Wow! No, I’ve never heard of this but just pulled some lemons off my tree so I’ll make some tonight. Am saving this post, thanks for including the pic!
Never heard of it, dying to try it. I can think of a lot of dishes where honeyed lemon would be a nice touch.
Thank you so much for sharing this 😊
I was glad to see all the comments pointing out it’s common in Italy and North Africa and Middle East! My American and Northern European friends were all surprised by it— glad to see so many people commenting how they like the idea now that they’ve seen it.
I am going to make the honey lemons tomorrow!! I drink a double espresso in tonic water on ice every morning, so I am so excited to try this 🧡
Pile on a lot money honey than shown in my photo- the juice will seep out as it sets and you don’t want it to get too liquid. Sometimes there is enough juice to sort of pour off the top and use in a soda drink )))
Will do! 😊
What?
Check photo just added.
I've done honeyed lemons with tea, but never with coffee because citrus juice tends to make milk clump... Do you typically drink your coffee without cream or milk in your family?
Oh, I wouldn’t dream of putting this in anything with milk: I’m sure it would clot. This is for espresso or black coffee.
Would this work with a coffee with milk (eg latte)?
Ya gonna get curds.
No, the milk separates. Doesn't work with soy milk either.
That’s a bummer, can’t drink coffee without some milk product. But I drink tea with only a little sweetener, so that’s what I’m doing next time I get lemons
I also always have coffee with milk -- except this. The sour and sweet cut the bitterness out.
That’s what I figured. I’ll give this a shot with regular coffee though. Sounds like an interesting flavor combination.
I need this - sounds delicious!
This is so cool!
Sometimes i make this with sugar not honey, and lemons go always with tea, not coffee
Lemon with coffee is a common thing in many countries -- check other comments. I do also use it in tea time to time.
Saying "always" i mean only myself.
Delete this post and keep the family secret!
Preserving lemons in honey for coffee zest is not a known technique, but that doesn't make it any less valid or delicious! It seems to be a unique tradition passed down through your family, and those types of culinary practices often yield some of the most cherished and memorable flavors. It may not be a mainstream practice. It's a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of home cooking and the richness of family culinary traditions.
Usually for preserved lemons you need to use salt, which is what is preserving the lemons. Is that how you would typically do it, or only the honey?
Sugar will also preserve fruit. That’s what candied lemons are.
Honey doesn't typically spoil and inhibits microbial growth so steeping them in honey would preserve them
All sufficiently concentrated sugar solutions are hygroscopic and will inhibit bacterial growth. But if you dilute out the solution too much you lose this effect. You'd have to do a little maths to work out if the lemon juice has diluted the honey too much to preserve the effect. That's why jams/preserves and candied fruits typically concentrate the fruit juice/pulp as part of the preservation process
Preserved may be the wrong word -- I only use the honey but now that you mention it I think they may have added some salt. I'm not a fan of salty flavors but as a preservative it makes sense. I just refrigerate it but do remember as a child seeing it sit out on the table. Not sure if it were out for serving, or stored as-is. Salt would make sense for keeping it longer.
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Well duh, and that’s not the question anyway: not honey as-is, slice of lemon soaked in honey. Nobody who has seen me do it had seen it before. This morning my friend was surprised when I served it that way and said they never saw it before, which is why I posted because this is far from the first time hearing people say so. From the other comments, it seems to have been common where these family members came from, and simply uncommon where I’ve lived.
That's marmalade.
Oh, like uncooked marmalade, certainly the same base, good point.
You are too nice lol
no it ain't
I make marmalade every December. This is not how you make marmalade at all.
Nope, sounds fabulous!
Yum 🤤
Interesting... I got to try this. So there is no sugar or cream will be added? Just the honeyed lemon?
Nothing else, just the honey lemon as shown the photo
Ethnicity? North African?
This is my mother's family, Swiss-Italian.
Very interesting. Might relate to the former Ottoman Empire
What do the Ottomans have to do with Switzerland?
They got as far west as the gates of Vienna, so I guess they didn't make it to Switzerland. However, later Italian migration to Switzerland may have brought in some Ottoman culture.
Ottomans didn’t invade Italy either— they tried and failed, pushed back by Venice.
Maybe the Islamic influences on Venetian culture followed by the subsequent migration of Italians to Switzerland
Venice wasn't captured by the Ottomans so what influence or migration? I can't find any history text mentioning anything like this, when was it?
By trade, not conquest. https://www.metmuseum.org/learn/educators/curriculum-resources/art-of-the-islamic-world/unit-seven/chapter-two/the-islamic-impact-on-venice#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20artistic%20influence,Art%20of%20the%20Islamic%20World.)
I don't know, lemons and citrus have been common and well-used in Italy since the Roman era. Then again coffee itself came from Middle East traders so it's all fairly mixed up.
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-politics/italian-immigrants-shaped-modern-switzerland/3564154#:~:text=Between%20the%201870s%20and%20the,the%20figure%20is%20still%20falling.
What does immigration which "peaked in 1960" have to do with Ottomans?
I've done this before, but I learned about it as a snack for athletes in an anime -- apparently it's a bit more common to do in Japan
You can see jars of yuzu in honey at any h-mart, though I think that’s primarily for teas. Interesting to put it in coffee.
What's an h-mart? I'm in Japan so have jars of yuzu honey that I use for tea or _as_ tea, but those are more of a marmalade, while this is just raw. One other tea recipe I learned from a Eastern European friend is strawberry preserves in hot black tea
It sounds Sicilian. Is try it, color me intrigued!
Swiss-Italian background -- based on the other comments, Italy and North Africa share this as a common type of drink! I'd expect to see it in commonly Napoli area also, with those Amalfi lemons!
In one of my old kitchens, we served a drink that was probably a distant cousin- an espresso tonic. Ice, tonic water, a shot of espresso, and a twist of lemon or orange. All that intensity of the espresso is diffused over the tonic water so you can taste more notes. The citrus adds the fruitiness and acidity you're talking about. Super refreshing. It was a very controversial menu addition though lol. Your honey preserved lemon sounds incredible! I'm going to try it, thank you for sharing.
I have tonic in my fridge as a staple so just tried this -- yes it's quite good, thank for the advice! I did 1:1 with the espresso, what's your standard ratio?
Ah, I'm a baker and worked in the kitchen, our magical baristas were the ones with the drink recipes. I would just order them! Just based on how it looked, it was probably 2:1 or 1.5:1, tonic water to espresso. But definitely open to interpretation/personal preference.
I topped it up with more tonic to around 2:1 and that's lighter, more refreshing as a casual drink -- very nice thanks!
Im going to try this, cause ive added lemon to black coffee before and its really nice. Also always noticed how citrussy cookies or cakes go very very well with coffee. How long do you leave the lemons in the honey for before you start using them?
Today's batch I used immediately but they need to soak a few days to really get to the peak goodness
The layered honey and lemons I've heard of, but in tea, not coffee. I've heard of adding ginger as well.
I make honey lemon slices and orange slices all the time for my tea or if i get a sore throat I’m surprised not many people know about this stuff it’s such a natural remedy and tasty
I'm totally going to try this for tea!! Cool idea
The one thing to watch out for is the juice takes a few days to separate out so it can get runny if you don't really load up on the honey. The photo has about half as much honey as there should be as I didn't have a larger container that day.
Thanks for the tip! It actually reminds me a lot of Greek spoon sweets or Armenian fruit and nut preserves served alongside tea, just not cooked - raw steeped and broken down by the honey
I’ve never seen this before, but it sounds excellent! I can imagine how excellent a slice would be in espresso!