The market · Fruit · Southern Europe

Bergamots

A round, yellow, bumpy-skinned citrus whose zest has the floral, peppery perfume of Earl Grey tea. The juice is sour and bitter; it's the zest you're buying.

floral · perfumed · bitter

What to do with it

Ibu Sari's Beef rendangBergamot would cut through its richnessRosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleBergamot would temper its sweetnessAna Etxarri's Pil pilBergamot would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's SuyaBergamot would cut through its richness

Goes with

black teasugarwhite fisholive oil

Knowing it

Where to buy
Italian greengrocers and specialist citrus growers in winter — yellow when ripe, green earlier.
A little history
Almost all the world's bergamot grows on a strip of coast around Reggio Calabria, much of it for perfume and Earl Grey.
Worth knowing
Use the zest raw or barely warmed: microplane it over crudo, into a curd, or rub it into sugar. A little juice can stand in for lemon on raw fish.

More fruit, in season with it

at its peakFruitApplescrisp, tartsoursweet4 classicsFruitBlood orangesberry-like, bittersweetsoursweetbitterNot cooked here yetFruitClementinessweet, citrusy, fragrantsoursweetNot cooked here yetFruitGrapefruitscitrusy, bitter, soursourbitterNot cooked here yet