What Is This Armenian Mystery Fruit?

While visiting with a friend's elderly father, we spotted some unusual, boxy-shaped citrus growing in his yard. He plucked one of the fruits and gave it to us ... but we still don't know what it is!

Our friend's dad explained that he used to eat this fruit in his homeland of Armenia but couldn't find it in the United States, so he grew the tree from a seed sent by a friend back home. According to their family, it's called "kebet" (our spelling) and the peel is traditionally candied. As you can see in the picture above, it has a thick, white pith. The pulp is tart like a lemon and the peel is fairly bitter but makes a flavorful, fragrant candy.

We contacted Fruit Detective and citrus specialist David Karp, who unfortunately couldn't positively identify the fruit without seeing the tree and leaves. (We're kicking ourselves for not taking photos!) Karp says it's likely a kind of citron or citron-pummelo hybrid, but he isn't familiar with the name "kebet."

Does anyone out there have experience eating or cooking with an Armenian "citron"?

Related: What Is This Mystery Fruit?

(Images: Emily Ho)

Comments (20)

Some type of Citron perhaps?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_citron
or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balady_citron
?
I googled "bumpy lemon thick rind."

Looks like some local variety of citron to me:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citron

Looks like a Corsican Citron:
http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/corsican.html

Yeah! What they said. I checked here: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2011/02/making-glazed-candied-fruit-citron-recipe/

it looks to me like an Etrog. I don't know the English word for it, but an Etrog is a fruit used ceremonially during Sukkot, the Jewish harvest holiday. I've never cut one open, though, because we just used it ceremonially. Etrogs have a little stem sticking up. If it breaks off, the Etrog is no longer kosher. anyway...that looks like an etrog to me. sorry if this wasn't helpful...

I agree, looks like an etrog to me, too!

I'm jumping on the etrog train. The peels are delightful candied or in a marmalade. There is a superstition that marmalade made from etrogim will help a woman who is overdue to go into labor.

Citrus medica, aka citron, aka etrog. http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Citrus_medica

It's a citron! Don't miss the touching 2005 movie about the Israeli couple and the citron and the convicts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ushpizin

My husband's aunt, Armenian [originally from Aleppo, Syria] used this fruit in Beirut, Lebanon. She called it "terounj" and mainly used the peel She candied it. it was delicious.

My dad is Armenian and grew up in Aleppo, Syria. He said: "I know this very well. We had it in our court in Aleppo….It is called : Kabbat. Excellent to prepare sweet kabbat…."

I thought etrog, too! Just in time for Sukkot, yeah?!

Whoa! I saw that picture and thought "duh that's a lemon" because I have a "lemon" tree out front that makes fruit JUST like that! Then I read the rest of the post.

This year we just juiced a bunch and froze the juice, but I'm excited about making candied peel and lemoncello maybe when they get ripe again.

The juice is super bitter, unless we let it settle (I think the ground-up pith settles out) and then strain the top juice though cheesecloth. Then the juice is a clear, syrupy yellow and has a very sweet flavor on top of the lemon tartness.

Etrog=Citron.
(BTW, if the stem breaks off, it's still kosher for consumption, just not kosher for its ceremonial use.)

It is an Etrog, also called a Citron, oh wait, other people have already told you that. :)

I love Ushpizin!! Great movie@!!!!