Yanova esrog

The citron of Diamante as it is known in the botanical world, is mainly grown in the region of Calabria, province of Cosenza, at the south-western coast of Italy. That's why some people are calling it Calabria Esrog, which is the Hebrew name for the citron. However, by most religious Jews the variety is called Yanova Esrog, most probably because it used to be shipped to the Jewish centers in Europe via Genoa, a city and seaport in north Italy.

The Diamante variety goes back to the times of the Balei Tosfot, and is considered to be of oldest Ashkenazic tradition, for the Jewish ritual during the Feast of Tabernacles.

The citron in Calabria was celebrated by poets like Byron and D'Annunzio, but was only saved from extinction, thanks to the Jewish tradition.

While Calabria is at the southern point of Italy it is of hottest climate, it is the most suitable for the citron. However, during the winter it is still to cold for the citron, and this is why the farmers need to protect them with blue plastic covers. Most of the citron trees in the area are grafted onto foreign rootstock, to save them from freeze and all different illness. While this practice renders them to non-kosher, no citron is to be picked off for the ritual use, unless the tree is carefully inspected by a rabbi.

A Jewish delegation comes from Israel to Santa Maria del Cedro every year between July and August to choose the best fruit to be used in the most important holiday for the Jewish community. The selection of the best fruit is a virtual ritual. The rabbis, each followed by a peasant carrying a box and a pair of scissors, go to the citron farms at five in the morning. The rabbi proceeds slowly looking left and right. Then he stops and looks at the base of the tree, right where the trunk comes up from the ground. A smooth trunk means the tree has not been grafted and the fruit can be picked. The rabbi lies down on the ground to examine better the lower branches between the leaves. Once the good fruit is found, the rabbi shows it to the peasant who cuts it off leaving a piece of the stalk. Then the rabbi analyses the picked citron one more time and if he decides it is worthy he wraps it in oakum and puts it in the box. The farmer receives the agreed sum for each picked fruit. Then the boxes are sealed and sent to the Lamezia Terme airport with a final destination Tel Aviv.

Seeds of inspected trees were planted in the Israeli village of Kefar Khabad, with certification by major kashrus organizations.

See also

• Greek citron.
• The Beladdi of Palestine.
• The tree inspection by rabbis, including Pictures.
• The Official Website of Flohr's Esrogim
• The Diamante Variety described by The Purdue University

References

• Isaac, Erich. (1959). Influence of religion on the spread of citrus: The religious practices of the Jews helped effect the introduction of citrus to Mediterranean lands. Science, 129: 179-186.