stevez wrote:It seems to me, as someone who has been conducting my own extensive worldwide survey of Key Lime Pies for over 25 years, that a pie made with Persian limes is not a key lime pie. It may be good, but it's simply a lime pie. Calling it anything else is misleading and is as big an abomination as serving a Maxwell Street Polish on Gonella bread.

I don't disagree but what's ironic about this is that many "key" lime pies are made with Nellie & Joe's, which isn't necessarily 100% key to begin with.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:what's ironic about this is that many "key" lime pies are made with Nellie & Joe's, which isn't necessarily 100% key to begin with.

=R=

Those pies tend to not be in the top tier of the Worldwide Survey of Key Lime Pies, either. There's something about the almost bitter tang of key limes that just can't be duplicated. Don't get me wrong, I've had plenty of really good KLPs make with Nellie & Joe's, but you can really taste the difference when you come across one that is 100% fresh squeezed fresh key lime juice.

Darren72 wrote:Not the same thing, but not exactly a high crime either.

Isn't it?

stevez wrote:A pie made with Persian limes is not a key lime pie. It may be good, but it's simply a lime pie. Calling it anything else is misleading....

Perhaps this belongs in the Lies They Feed Us thread.... I certainly agree with you, but I think it's probably a lost cause, like expecting "prime rib" to mean prime-grade beef rather than any old rib roast, or "homemade" or "home cooking" to mean ... oh, never mind.

I suppose it could all be taken to the next level of hairsplitting - a key lime pie is made with key limes (a species of fruit). A Key lime pie (uppercase "K") can only be made from key limes that were grown in Key West. Or to take it even further, it can only be a key lime pie actually MADE BY and SERVED BY a Conch in Key West. Can one call it a key lime pie if the fruit seller calls them Mexican limes or West Indian limes? Hmm...

Going back to my pie talk notes:

Key Lime, Mexican Lime or West Indian (Citrus aurantifolia) is not native to the Americas. It originated in southwest Asia, then crossed back into Europe during the Crusades. Ships carried these limes to help prevent scurvy in sailors. It is also why British sailors were referred to as limies. Popular in Spain, key limes were likely introduced to the Americas by the Conquistadors and possibly by Christopher Columbus. First recorded key lime groves in Florida was 1525.

Key limes have almost always been a kitchen garden crop. Hurricanes in 1906 wiped out the pineapple crop, then key lime was introduced as a commercial crop in Florida. Key limes as cash crops ended by 1923 due to another hurricane. What natural disasters didn’t finish, residential development killed remaining key lime commercial production by the 1950’s. Key limes are now grown in Mexico as a cash crop.

The Tahiti limes (Citrus latifolia), is likely a cross between a key lime and a lemon first recorded long after the West Indian lime in the 1500’s. Fully ripened Key and Tahiti limes are yellow when fully ripened.

Regards,

We have a house in the Keys that has very old Key Lime trees. They produce hundreds of fruit year round. Made a big mistake a few years ago. Must have brought back over 600 key limes. My wife and I squeezed a couple of hundred (really not that hard) and froze them in 4 oz cupcake trays. Then we put them in ziploc bags for future use. The big mistake is I packaged the remaining limes in bags of 50 and handed them out to neighbors. Since that day, whenever we return from the Key's house, there is always a neighbor or 2 to help us unload. We don't mind, but if we aren't around that much, the crops are much smaller. The gardner has gained about 30 lbs since he started cutting the grass. I think the pool guy is selling them on the side. Oh well, I do have 5 trees growing in Miami (from seed) and they are finally producing limes.
Next year should be nice crop.

I've had two types of Key Lime Pie's, does anyone one know the origin of either

- sweet pastry crust, key lime filling, meringue
- graham cracker crust, key lime filling, whipped cream

I encountered both in the south, neither in Florida or the Keys

Peace
David

phild01 wrote:We have a house in the Keys that has very old Key Lime trees. They produce hundreds of fruit year round.

Have you tasted the juice from your trees next to any from commercially available Key limes that are grown in Mexico? I'm curious as to whether there's any difference in flavor.

we've had some key lime pie in local restaurants and none compare to the homemade pies. It is not easy to find key limes in miami. Many growers down south in Homestead lost all their trees to canker a few years ago. It has only been recent that you can buy a key lime tree down here.

I saw key limes in Mchenry for $.99 a pound..

Take a look at today's Good Eating section. There is a recipe for Key Lime Pie, which calls for either fresh or bottled key lime juice. I've made pies with both. If I have the time, and the key limes are available, I'll spend the time and hand squeeze them. Mind you, thats a lot of little limes to get a cup of lime juice. Lacking time and limes, the bottle is ok too.