Strange fruit

[Alec McClay]

Hope this is not too far off topic for a weekend posting.

At our local Middle Eastern grocery I just bought a jar of fruit preserves
from Iran, labelled only in German. The German label says "Brotaufstrich
mit Balang Frucht/ Die Balang Frucht ist eine in Iran angebaute
Zitrusfruchtart", i.e. "Spread with balang fruit/ the balang fruit is a
kind of citrus fruit cultivated in Iran". There is a picture of what looks
like a very knobbly lemon on the label. Anyone on the list know enough
about citrus taxonomy to know what this is? I couldn't find anything
relevant on a  Google search for citrus and balang.

Judging by this sample the balang is a bit of an acquired taste - it has a
sharp rather resinous flavour.


Alec McClay, Ph.D.

McClay Ecoscience
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Sherwood Park, Alberta
Canada T8H 1H8
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www.mcclay-ecoscience.com
Biological control, invasive species, insect-plant ecology