What Is the Difference Between Meyer Lemons and Regular Lemons?

Origin

• Among lemons that consumers are familiar with, Eureka lemons originated from an Italian lemon in California in the mid-1800s, while Lisbon lemons came to California from Portugal by way of Australia in the mid to late 1800s. The Meyer lemon is a hybrid of a lemon and possibly a mandarin orange, and is credited to the agriculturalist Frank Meyer who found the plant in Peking, China in the early 20th century.

Taste, Appearance and Hardiness

• The two common regular lemon varieties are nearly identical, according to Purdue University Department of Horticulture, displaying the same elliptical shape, gently pitted surface and sharp acidic taste. The Eureka has no thorns whereas Lisbons do, although the latter is more cold-resistant. Meyer lemons are rounder compared to regular lemons, with an orange-yellow hue. Meyers have no thorns and are cold-resistant, although the zest is not as high quality as that of regular lemons.

How Grown

• Meyers can be grown from seed, taking about four years to fruit. You can also graft cuttings to various citrus rootstocks. Meyer lemons are more cold-hardy than regular lemons. Lisbon lemons need to be canopied and sheltered from temperature extremes, while eureka lemons bear fruit unprotected in large terminal clusters.

Uses

• Use Meyer lemons whenever lemons are called for in recipes, and you should be aware of possible changes to your recipe if you substitute them willy-nilly. If a recipe calls for one lemon, using a Meyer lemon will give you up to 1 1/2 cups of juice. Also, the sweeter taste of the Meyer lemon lends itself to ice creams and lemon bars, but may introduce unexpected sweetness in savory dishes. One way to play on the milder sweeter taste is to make a Meyer lemon relish accented with dried blueberries.