We love a cup of (Russian) Earl Grey or Lady Grey. Black teas flavoured with oil of bergamot (Citrus Bergamia), which gives the tea a lovely citrusy flavour.
You could imagine how happy we were when we saw fresh bergamots on the market. Yellow, the size of an orange and very fragrant. Great to use for a tarte au citron, for a curd or for marmalade.
The juice of the bergamot is fairly similar to lemon juice. Bitter, pungent, perhaps a bit more tart. The rind is fragrant, has a powerful aroma and a (bitter) taste. Bergamot oil is made of the rind and often added to perfumes and cosmetics.
We also used the bergamot juice to make a kimizu-like sauce, served with fried fish. The result was okayish but certainly not our best idea!
What You Need
- (organic) Citrus Fruit (Oranges, Mandarins, Lemons, Bergamots or a mix of these)
- Sugar
- Water
What You Do
Weigh and wash the fruit. Cut into quarters and slice the quarters into thin slices. Transfer to a pan. Add some water, bring to a boil and cook on low heat for 15-30 minutes until the peel is translucent. Now add sugar (we use a ratio fruit to sugar of 2:1, but feel free to add more sugar). Cook on medium heat until the marmalade starts to thicken. This may take 15-30 minutes depending on the fruit. Transfer to clean jars, let cool and enjoy a few days later!
Cook and Drink 
I’ll have to look for these, I do love a bitter marmalade.
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So do we! We think our Bergamot fruit came from Italy.
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Wow. I can’t imagine how perfumey they must be fresh! My French grandmother used to send us bergamot hard candies and I always found them so strange.
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We have never tasted bergamot candies. Could imagine that the aroma is not very appealing when you’re young.
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Exactly!
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My house in Beverly Hills has 7 citrus trees – I give my neighbor bags of fruit very few weeks – she is an award winning songwriter who also holds the record still for youngest female to have a #1 hit song with “To Know Know Know Him Is To Love Love Love Him”…written and produced by Phil Specter! That aside, I am going to try this!
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Thanks John, such a great song! And you’re very lucky to have 7 citrus trees. We love citrus fruit and the blossoms smell amazing. Good luck with the marmalade!
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Great Read –
Kind Regards Mel
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Thanks Mel!
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