Candied Citron

For the past four Christmases I have been lucky enough to find citron, a.k.a. Buddha’s hand, at my local Whole Foods grocery store. I love the way it looks in fruit arrangements and the added bonus of using it in one of my favorite bread recipes, Pane de Marinaio / Sailor’s Bread, fromThe Italian Baker by Carol Field. Alan Davidson writes in Fruit: A Connoisseur’s Guide and Cookbook that it came to represent wealth and in India the god of wealth, Kuvera is always represented as holding a citron in one hand and a mongoose spewing jewels in the other!

Candied Citron

(4) cups cubed citron

(3) cups sugar

(3) cups water

additional sugar for rolling candied citron

Cut the citron into small cubes.

Add (1) tablespoon salt and citron to (4) cups of water and let brine for 3 days.
Drain and rinse thoroughly. Place in pot with fresh water to cover. Bring to boil and drain, 3 times, until citron softens but is not mushy (this is to remove any bitter taste). Drain well, lay out on cookie sheet to dry.

In sauce pan, combine (4) cups citron, (3) cups sugar and (3) cups water. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves.

Continue to cook until peel is translucent. Drain any liquid and roll candied citron in granulated sugar. Allow to dry. This will keep in the refrigerator for 4 weeks.

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