Before we came to Guatemala, we always understood the Spanish word for lemon to be limon, and the Spanish word for lime to be lima.
Apparently in Guatemala, it's different. Probably in other parts of Latin America too, but I haven't heavily researched this. We've explained to people the difference, because people here want to know. Yellow limes? How do they taste? How are they different? They just are. I mean, a lemon meringue pie is a lot different than a key lime pie, right?
During my Spanish classes two years ago I decided to make lemon scones with my teacher. She told me she had some limones at home that she would bring. I assumed they'd be big and yellow, but she showed up with little green limes. "Oh, limas," I said. "No, these are limones," was her response (all in Spanish of course).
Thus began my confusion. And discovery that there are no lemons here in Guatemala. I have no idea why. There are oranges and limes. No yellow lemons.
Today I found it funny to be eating chips that are lime flavored. Limon.
Yet the soda I was drinking was limon and lima. Finally! Proof to my Guatemalan friends that there IS a difference.
This is one of several reasons learning Spanish is so confusing.
3 comments:
Have you figured out what a Lima/limon fruit is? Closest I can figure is a Persian Sweet Lime?
Hi, I am a Guatemalan who lives in GA, USA grew up in Guatemala and came to the US as an adult. I reached this post because I was searching for some of my favorite fruits from my childhood. One of those was the LIMA and I can't find it. It seems like the closest thing to it is Bergamot. The images of it are very similar but the color is from yellow to orange. The Guatemalan "Lima" is a minty green color at its ripest. You peel its thick rind easily and a strong delicious aroma escapes from the peel. It is sweet and juicy and the taste is something like a tangerine and a pear with a tiny bit of lemon (US lemon). Not even Google is able to find it.
The Guatemalan "limon" is closer to the Key Limes (from Florida). The "limon dulce" is similar to regular limes in the US. The "limon de Castilla" is similar to a lemon although they never get to be fully yellow when ripe, maybe something about the climate? But I know that they are lemons because I had a tree of them at home and they were closer to US lemons than to the "limones".
The word "Lima" was reserved for this other delicious fruit.
I'm starting to think that the fruits of my childhood (I was accompanying my grandma to the open market in the late 1950s and early 1960s). She was very obliging and would buy for me to taste every variety of fruits on display. At that time it was all directly from the farmers and some collected directly from the rainforest. Maybe at least 10 different kids of bananas, some 10 different kinds of oranges, and other ones that I don't think are available in the US.
I hope someone knows those fruits and can give some information on where to find them.
Hi. How funny that I was looking for exactly the same fruit and came across your post. I grew up in Guate in the 60s too and we had limoges...verdes como la lima de España. But lima/limón had a little invertido dimple at the base. Somewhat like a nipple. These were fleshy .
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