FInger Lime – Health Benefits, Uses and Important Facts

Finger limes are a kind of citrus fruit. They look like short, fat fingers, so people call them "caviar limes." FInger lime is botanically known as Citrus australasica. This tree grows naturally as a shrub in places like the understory. It can grow up to 6 metres tall on a wide range of soil types. Finger limes are used as a fresh topping and can be used in both raw and cooked dishes.

Description of Finger lime tree:

These trees grow thorns and are known to make fruit that looks like fingers. This fruit is called a "finger lime." The fruit can get as long as 12 cm and has a greenish-yellow skin with a fleshy centre. This fruit can also have pink or red flesh, which is a natural thing for them to do. Citrus australis var. sanguinea is the name for this finger lime with a unique red colour. If these plants are not grown in gardens, they grow in the wild.

Finger limes that grow in the wild are very different from those grown in gardens. This is mostly because their genes are different. Aside from their genes, they are also very different in size, shape, colour, and the number of seeds in the fruit. The pulp of the fruit is interesting to look at, touch, and feel. This is because they contain separate juice vesicles, which make them look like caviar. Each juice vesicle in the fruit is squeezed together inside the skin, and when the fruit opens, the juice bursts out.

Leaves of finger lime:

The leaves are small, orbicular, lobed to elliptic or roughly rhombic, 1–5 cm long by 3–25 mm wide, with a notched apex, a cuneate base, and margins that are often crenate towards the apex. There are a lot of oil glands on the leaves, which smell good when crushed, and they are carried on petioles that are 1–3 mm long The new shoots is purple and about a quarter of an inch wide.

Finger lime fruits

After the fertile flowers come cylindrical, fusiform, finger-shaped fruits that are 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) long, about the size of a person's index finger, and sometimes slightly curved. The thin, tough skin of a finger lime is usually greenish-black to very dark purple. Once the fruit is cut open, the small round juice vesicles slowly leak out without being squeezed. This is what we call "citrus caviar." Most of the time, the round vesicles are clear green, but they can also be very light pink.

Taste of finger lime

Finger limes are in the citrus family, so they taste a lot like citrus. But, as we've talked about, the different kinds of finger lime have different tastes. Overall, though, the taste is a little bit sour, citrusy, and bitter.

They have a strong aftertaste, and some people have said it tastes like crushed lemon leaves. Finger limes have vesicles that are juicy and firm. This makes the taste even better.

Culinary use of finger lime

Finger limes are most useful for cooking, but most people prefer to eat them raw or as a garnish with the main dish. Seafood and chicken are the best things to eat with finger limes. Spirits, melons, and cream-based desserts can be made a little bit sour. When you add a finger lime to an oyster shooter, the dish goes to a whole new level. The lime gives the dish a little crunch and a lot of flavour, making it the star of the menu. Finger limes also go well with grilled salmon and seared scallops. Finger lime can also be used to improve avocado or melon slices by sprinkling finger lime caviar on them and then adding a pinch of sea salt. This is a very cool snack to have in the afternoon during the summer. As good as finger limes taste, the fact that they float on top of cocktails and spirits is a sign of their sophistication. Finger lime caviar is also used to add a burst of flavour to sushi, cheesecake, grilled shrimp, and any other dish that needs it.

Health benefits of finger lime:

1. Protects against different infections

Finger lime has a fair amount of vitamin C, which is one of the nutrients. Everyone knows that this nutrient helps strengthen the immune system and makes the body less likely to get sick from pathogens like bacteria and viruses. So, eating finger limes can be helpful, especially at this time of year when flu and other infections of the upper respiratory tract are more common.

2. Slows the rate of Skin Ageing

Finger lime is full of vitamin C and helps your skin stay young and beautiful. This is because it gets rid of free radicals, which are what damage skin cells and make them age faster. Vitamin C also helps your body make collagen, a type of protein that makes your skin more flexible and helps keep wrinkles from showing up.

3. Makes teeth and gums stronger

Scurvy is a disorder that can happen if a person doesn't eat enough vitamin C. This condition is easy to spot because it causes the gums to swell and bleed. Keeping your gums healthy is very important if you want to keep your teeth healthy. 

4. Improves Eye health and vision 

There is a great deal of vitamin A in finger limes. Your eyes and vision need vitamin A to stay healthy. Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant that protects your eyes from the damage that free radicals can do. Free radicals can cause a number of eye diseases and even blindness.

5. Protects against age-related illness

The natural form of vitamin E is found in finger limes.  Several studies have shown that it is very good at preventing a wide range of health problems that come with getting older. Some of the diseases that fall into this category affect brain, nerves, joints and heart.

6. Lowers blood pressure levels

Finger lime has a good amount of potassium in it. Professionals in the field of medicine also think that this mineral can help lower blood pressure by making the blood vessels bigger. So, you might want to eat more finger limes and other foods high in potassium to lower your risk of heart disease and keep your blood pressure in the normal range.

7. Prevents anaemia 

Each serving of finger lime has a good amount of iron in it. The above-mentioned mineral is needed to make RBCs, which is short for "red blood cells." RBCs are the cells in your blood that carry oxygen to all parts of your body. So, eating finger limes and other iron-rich foods can make it less likely that you'll get iron deficiency anaemia.

Finger lime juice:

To use a finger lime, cut it in half and squeeze out the juice. To get the juice out, you can use a citrus reamer. Once the juice is out, add sugar as required and water mixture and let it sit for around 10 minutes prior to serving.