A HANDY FRUIT, BUT WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT?

We'd been reading about "Buddha's Hand" (a tropical citrus fruit) for several years, but had never come across an actual specimen in a mainstream Vancouver grocery store before. But this weekend, there they were, sitting in a basket by the front door of the new Urban Fare at the Shangri-la, looking like a cross between a giant yellow sea anemone and some kind of exotic back scratcher.

We inquired about cooking instructions but the staff were baffled; they didn't have a clue as to how it was meant to be eaten or used ... and neither did the in-house chef.

Just looking at it though, at least the name makes sense. In appearance, the fruit does resemble Buddha's elegant long fingers folded in prayer (in an abstract, modern art, sort of way), and in Asia it is used occasionally in religious ceremonies. But our Japanese and Chinese friends tell us that having no juice or sweet pulp, the fruit is actually more useful for its strong lemon-y frangrance. Housekeepers cut off  "fingers"  to hang in kitchens near the garlic and onions, or to freshen clothes closets.  And because, unlike lemons, there is no thick pulp to deal with, cooks often candy thin strips of Buddha's hand, or will cut fine slices for garnishes, or chop the fruit fine for a gremolata and add it to the tops of fish before baking.

Asian bartenders also use wedge's of Buddha's hand to scent or decorate cocktails or drinking water, and the liquor industry uses them as an ingredient in lemon flavoured liqueurs. 

The moral of the story is: If you have to give someone "the finger", make it one from the hand of Buddha.