Etrog

An edible fruit cultivar, the etrog is a rather specific and, frankly, peculiar citrus fruit. It’s the yellow variety of citron (Citrus medica), primarily recognized for its role in Jewish religious observance, particularly during the week-long festival of Sukkot . Alongside the lulav , hadass , and aravah , the etrog forms part of the “four species” that are ritually handled and waved during specific prayers. The selection of an etrog for this purpose is often a matter of considerable, almost obsessive, care.

Etymology: A Word’s Wanderings

The common English transliteration, “etrog,” is derived from the Sephardi Hebrew pronunciation of the word: אֶתְרוֹג. Those with an Ashkenazi Hebrew background tend to pronounce it as “esrog” or even “esrig.” Scholarly texts might render it as “ethrog” or “etrog.” The word itself has a history, tracing its lineage back to the Persian term “wādrang,” which makes an appearance in the ancient Zoroastrian text, the Vendidad . This Persian root also gives rise to related terms like the Persian “toronj” (ترنج) and the Jewish Babylonian Aramaic “ʾaṯruggā” (אַתְרוּגָּא). Even Arabic adopted it, appearing as “utrujjah” (أُتْرُجَّةِ) in a hadith found in the collection Sahih Muslim . A more obscure Aramaic form, “eṯrungā” (אֶתְרוּנְגָּא), is noteworthy because it retains the alveolar nasal sound (’n’) present in the Persian “wādrang,” a sound also found in the English word “orange.”

Taxonomy: More Than Just a Fancy Lemon

In contemporary Modern Hebrew , “etrog” serves as a catch-all term for any type or form of citron, regardless of its ritual suitability. However, in common parlance, the term is often restricted to those specific specimens and varieties deemed appropriate for the ritual use as one of the four species . Some botanical authorities, such as Robert Willard Hodgson , have unfortunately conflated “etrog” with a singular, specific variety of citron, which is a taxonomic oversimplification. The diverse Jewish rites have, over centuries, adopted distinct varieties based on tradition or the rulings of their respective posek (rabbinic decisors).

The classification of citrons is, frankly, a mess. You have your acidic-pulp varieties like the Balady citron , Diamante citron , and Greek citron . Then there are the non-acidic ones, such as the Corsican citron and Moroccan citron . And let’s not forget the pulpless wonders, like the bizarre Fingered citron and the Yemenite citron . The hybrids? A whole other category of botanical confusion, including the Bizzarria , Florentine citron , Kabbad , Lumia , Pompia , Ponderosa lemon , Rangpur lime , Rhobs el Arsa , Rough lemon , and Volkamer lemon . It’s a veritable jungle of citrus lineage.

Biblical References: A Perennial Puzzle

The exact identification of the etrog in ancient texts has been a subject of scholarly debate, primarily revolving around the phrase peri ’etz hadar (פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר) found in Leviticus 23:40. This phrase, translated in the New Revised Standard Version as “fruit of majestic trees,” is syntactically and lexically ambiguous, leading to at least fifteen different interpretations. Some scholars suggest “fruit from beautiful trees,” a view echoed by Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and Martin Luther . The Samaritans , Septuagint , and Abraham ibn Ezra leaned towards “beautiful tree-fruit.” The King James Version opts for “branches of beautiful trees.”

However, most Rabbinic translations directly connect peri ’etz hadar to the etrog. For instance, Targum Onkelos interprets it as “tree-fruit, that is etrogim.” Nachmanides believed it meant “etrog fruit from the etrog tree,” while Saadia Gaon translated it as “fruit of the etrog tree.” Other interpretations, less widely accepted, include “cone of the cedar tree” (proposed by Shmuel Tolkowsky ), “fruit of the olive tree” (by Irving Koller), or “branches of the myrtle tree” (by Arnold Ehrlich ).

The modern Hebrew term “hadar” now refers to the entire genus Citrus . Nachmanides , writing in the 13th century, posited that “hadar” was the original Hebrew name for the citron, with “etrog” being a later Aramaic import. This aligns with the Arabic name for citron, “itranj,” also found in hadith literature and believed to be derived from Aramaic.

Historical Cultivation: An Ancient Tradition

The etrog was extensively cultivated in the Holy Land during the era of the Second Temple . Archaeological evidence abounds, with images of etrogim adorning mosaics at sites like the Maon Synagogue , Beth Alpha Synagogue, and Hamat Tiberias Synagogue. These depictions invariably place the etrog alongside other significant religious symbols, such as the shofar and menorah . Furthermore, etrog imagery is prevalent on numerous Bar Kokhba coins , minted during a period of intense Jewish resistance.

Direct archaeological evidence for citrus fruits, like seeds or pollen, is notoriously scarce. However, a significant find in 2012 at the Ramat Rachel site yielded citron pollen dating back to the second century BCE, providing concrete proof of etrog cultivation in ancient Israel.

In Diaspora: A Fruit’s Fateful Journey

Following the devastating fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE , exiled Jewish communities carried the cultivation of etrogim to new lands. Orchards were established wherever the climate permitted: in Southern Europe (specifically Spain , Greece , and Italy ), as well as across North Africa and Asia Minor . For Jewish communities situated in regions unsuitable for citron cultivation, the reliance shifted to imported etrogim. This dependence introduced a constant undercurrent of anxiety, given the inherent dangers and unpredictability of sea voyages. By the 17th century, islands like Corsica and Corfu had become prominent sources for these vital fruits.

In more recent times, starting in the late 1850s, the “Fruit of the Goodly Tree Association” in Mandatory Palestine actively promoted etrog cultivation, marketing their harvests to Jewish communities in Europe. While some communities maintained a preference for citrons from Italy, Greece, Morocco, or Yemen, many increasingly turned back to Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel , for their etrog needs.

American Jews continue to import the bulk of their holiday etrogim from Israel , with the notable exception of the shmita year, which presents complex halachic issues regarding the export of produce from the land of Israel. The United States has a single commercial grower of etrogim: John Kirkpatrick, a non-Jewish individual, who cultivates them on a ranch in Exeter, California , nestled in the San Joaquin Valley . Kirkpatrick began this venture in 1980 after a conversation with Yisroel Weisberger, an employee at a Judaica store in Brooklyn. Weisberger’s brother, Yaakov Shlomo Rothberg, joined the operation as Kirkpatrick’s business partner in 1995. As of 2010, Kirkpatrick’s operation boasted 250 etrog trees, yielding approximately 3,000 suitable etrogim annually, with an additional 9,000 fruits failing to meet the strict halakhic requirements. While other Californian growers exist, such as Inga Dorosz and David Sleeth near Big Sur, their produce is not rabbinically supervised and therefore not considered kosher for ritual use.

Cosmetic Requirements: The Devil in the Details

The etrog, for ritual purposes, is not merely a fruit; it’s an object of exacting standards.

Pitam

The “pitam” (Hebrew: פיטום), a structure composed of the style (or “dad” - דַד) and stigma (or “shoshanta” - שׁוֹשַׁנְתָּא), typically detaches from the fruit during its natural growth. An etrog retaining its pitam is considered particularly valuable, though varieties that shed it naturally are still deemed kosher. If only the stigma breaks off, even after harvest, and a portion of the style remains, the etrog can still qualify. However, if the entire pitam, encompassing both stigma and style, is unnaturally removed, the etrog is disqualified for ritual use.

Pitam Preservation Technique

Remarkably, the preservation of pitamim has seen significant improvement thanks to the discovery of an auxin by Eliezer E. Goldschmidt, a horticultural professor emeritus at the Hebrew University . While experimenting with the hormone picloram in a citrus orchard, he observed that nearby Valencia oranges exhibited perfectly preserved pitamim. This is unusual, as citrus fruits, save for the etrog or citron hybrids like the bergamot , typically do not retain their pitam, or if they do, it’s usually dry and fragile. Goldschmidt’s observed pitamim, however, were fresh and firm, akin to those found on Moroccan or Greek citron varieties. Through meticulous laboratory experimentation with picloram, Goldschmidt determined the precise concentration – a single droplet of the chemical diluted in three million drops of water – required to achieve this effect.

Purity: No Funny Business

For a citron to be considered kosher, it must be a pure species, free from grafting or hybridization with any other citrus variety. Consequently, only a select few traditional varieties are sanctioned for ritual use. To guarantee the absence of grafting, preferred plantations are maintained under rigorous rabbinical supervision .

Genetic Research

Genetic studies, including a significant DNA analysis by Eliezer E. Goldschmidt and his colleagues, have confirmed the purity of twelve renowned citron accessions , verifying their genetic lineage. The fingered and Florentine citrons , despite being citron varieties or potential hybrids, are not permitted for ritual use. The Corsican citron , once out of favor, has seen a recent resurgence in ritual acceptance.

Selection and Cultivation: Traditional Indicators

Beyond genetic confirmation, rabbinical authorities employ specific traditional indicators to distinguish pure etrogim from potential hybrids. These indicators have been meticulously preserved through generations of selective cultivation by skilled farmers. The most widely accepted indicators include:

1. Thick Rind, Sparse Pulp: A pure etrog possesses a thick rind, contrasting with its scant, almost dry pulp segments.
2. Ribbed and Warted Surface: The outer surface of a pure etrog is characteristically ribbed and bumpy.
3. Buried Peduncle: The etrog’s peduncle (stalk) is somewhat sunken or “buried” inward.

Conversely, lemons and other citron hybrids typically lack one or more of these distinguishing features. A less universally accepted indicator relates to seed orientation: in pure etrogim, seeds are typically oriented vertically, unless space constraints dictate otherwise. In lemons and hybrids, however, seeds tend to lie horizontally, even when not crowded.

The cultivation process typically begins with two- to four-year-old cuttings. The etrog tree starts bearing fruit approximately four years after planting these cuttings. If germinated from seed , the tree will take around seven years to produce fruit, and there’s a possibility of genetic alterations in the tree or its fruit.

Customs: Beyond the Ritual

To safeguard the etrog during the Sukkot holiday, it is traditionally encased in silky flax fibers and stored within a decorative box, often crafted from silver. After the festival concludes, consuming the etrog, whether as jam or prepared in other ways, is considered a segula – a beneficial remedy believed to facilitate an easy childbirth for women. A common Ashkenazi custom involves preserving the etrog until Tu BiShvat , the Jewish New Year for trees, and enjoying it in candied form or as succade . This practice is often accompanied by prayers for the merit of obtaining a beautiful etrog the following Sukkot. Some families transform the etrog into jam or liqueur, or even create a pomander by studding its rind with cloves for use as besamim during the havdalah ceremony marking the end of Shabbat .

It’s worth noting that etrogim cultivated in Israel are not typically classified as food products and their consumption is generally discouraged due to the extensive use of pesticides in their agricultural production.