What is the difference in flavour between the zest of an orange vs lemon vs lime
I am anosmic (do not have a sense of smell) and therefore am reduced in my perception of flavours to the flavours my tongue can detect, every time I zest a citrus fruit I always hear everyone talk of the smells released and how full of lovely flavours they are, however when I asked them what the distinct flavour each zest gives off I am generally given vague answers that don't help me much, such as
"Orange is generally a full flavour with sweetness, lemons is sharp and lime is sharp and sour"
The reason for asking this question is as a follow up from my previous question on homemade lemonade flavour enhancing, I would like to know what (if any) is the difference in flavour released by the essential oils within the zest of different citrus fruits (lemon, lime and orange). So maybe phrasing it in terms of what flavours they enhance within a lemonade may help hone your answer to my goal of balancing my lemonade even further; though I will probably find it super useful for the rest of my cooking.
Best Answer
If you can't taste it, but others can, chemical composition of the essential oils might prove a useful guide for you.
Ingredients of Orange, Lemon and Lime oils:
First line shows components common to two or more of the fruits. Second line shows components unique to each fruit.
lemon oil
a-pinene, b-pinene, myrcene, limonene, linalool, sabinene, neral
camphene, a-terpinene, b-bisabolene, trans-a-bergamotene, nerol
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Lime oil
a-pinene, b-pinene, myrcene, limonene, linalool,
terpinolene, 1,8-ceneole, borneol, citral and traces of neral acetate and geranyl acetate. ––––––––––––––––––––––––
orange oil
a-pinene, myrcene, limonene, linalool, sabinene, neral
citronellal, gerania
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Looking up the flavors of the unique ingredients should provide a better, more useful answer than "full flavour with sweetness" or "sharp and sour". Looks like the Handbook of Fruit and Vegetable Flavors would be a good place to find this information, but it's a bit on the pricey side.
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Is lemon zest stronger than orange zest?
Keep in mind, though, that not all citrus zest tastes the same; lemon zest and lime zest are slightly more bitter than orange zest, while zest from a blood orange is sweeter and more acidic. Use a 1:1 ratio when substituting a citrus zest for orange zest. Extract.Can I use lime zest instead of orange?
You should use the juices belonging to the citrus family, such as lemon or lime. It's because they are relatively close to the taste of orange zest. However, juice does lack that strong taste, so it's better to double up your dose.Does zest add flavor?
Zest is a food ingredient that is prepared by scraping or cutting from the rind of unwaxed citrus fruits such as lemon, orange, citron, and lime. Zest is used to add flavor to foods.Does lime zest add flavor?
What is zest? Lime zest is the colored outside portion of the citrus fruit peel. It's often used with or without the juice of the lime to add concentrated tangy citrus flavor to recipes. It can taste even stronger than lime juice, which can sometimes fade away into the flavor or recipes.Lemon vs Lime vs Orange Nutritional Value
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Answer 2
Unfortunately, flavor is extremely difficult to describe; generally making comparisons is about the best we can do. Your quote is pretty good at describing the differences, certainly better than I could do.
Of course, if you're making lemonade for yourself the only person you have to please is yourself. If you're making lemonade to share, then I recommend the scientific approach. Accuracy in this kind of thing requires a gram scale. You can get an excellent gram scale on Amazon, reasonably accurate to the .01 gram, for under $20. A tube of disposable 2 ounce portion cups can be found on Amazon, Sam's Club, or any restaurant supply place. Those or a box of Dixie cups can hold identical product for as many people as are tasting. Conveniently, you can use a Sharpie to keep track of what cup has what lemonade.
Be sure that you're only including the colored part of the peel, the pith of all citrus fruits is bitter - beyond what most people can enjoy.
Consider various sweeteners, extracts, flavor oils and salt as well, to achieve your ultimate lemonade.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Tara Winstead, Tara Winstead, Tara Winstead, Karolina Grabowska