Museums and the Mafia: The Secret History of Citrus

Gastropod

Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

Science, Food, History, Arts

4.7 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 19 April 2016

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A slice of lime in your cocktail, a lunchbox clementine, or a glass of OJ at breakfast: citrus is so common today that most of us have at least one lurking on the kitchen counter or in the back of the fridge. But don’t be fooled: not only were these fruits so precious that they inspired both museums and the Mafia, they are also under attack by an incurable immune disease that is decimating citrus harvests around the world. Join us on a historical and scientific adventure, starting with a visit to the ark of citrus—a magical grove in California that contains hundreds of varieties you’ve never heard of, from the rose-scented yellow goo of a bael fruit to the Pop Rocks-sensation of a caviar lime. You’ll see that lemon you’re about to squeeze in a whole new light. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It smells like... I almost want to say a perfume factory, but I don't like perfume.
0:08.1	Like it's so intensely fragrant.
0:10.3	It is.
0:11.3	It's amazing.
0:12.3	I spent a couple days almost all day out here and it was like a little... my nose was
0:17.3	like tired at the end of the day from just... you know when it's in the peak of bloom,
0:22.2	it's just so intense when you're out in the middle of it.
0:25.0	No, I was thinking this morning when I was here earlier, how beautiful a day is we got
0:29.5	like snow cap mountains, we got blooming citrus, what else could we ask for?
0:35.9	It is the most magical place on earth and it isn't California, but it's not Disneyland.
0:41.2	This is the University of California Riverside Citrus Variety Collection and as the director
0:45.6	Tracy Khan said, it was unbelievably amazing.
0:48.8	The good news is we're taking you there in this episode on a citrus adventure.
0:53.7	You're listening to Gastropod, the podcast that looks at food through the lens of science
0:57.0	and history.
0:58.0	I'm Nicola Twilly.
0:59.0	I'm Cynthia Graber and this episode, you'll not only stroll through clouds of fragrant
1:02.9	orange blossoms and taste mouthwatering pomellas with us, but you'll also learn about what
1:07.2	was quite possibly the world's first controlled clinical trial with lemons.
1:12.0	We made today's episode with the help of Jivodan, a global leader in the fragrance and
1:16.0	flavor industry.
1:17.1	They make a lot of citrus-based flavors and many of them are inspired by the citrus
	...

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