Food and Drink Atlas

How The World Eats
Ingredients

Lime

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A small, acidic green citrus fruit used across Latin American, Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern cooking to season, marinate and, in the case of ceviche, cure raw fish and shellfish through the acid's effect on protein.

Facts
Earliest Documented Use, From (Year)
from 3000 BCE 1
Sourced to the subject's own accountMarks the Austronesian dispersal of the lime out of Southeast Asia (circa 3000 to 1500 BCE), not the original domestication date, which the source does not give.
Earliest Documented Use, To (Year)
to 1500 BCE 1
Sourced to the subject's own accountClosing bound of the same Austronesian-dispersal date range; the fruit reached the Middle East and Mediterranean separately by about 1200 BCE.
Origin RegionSourced to the subject's own account
Tropical Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and South China, from which limes spread by human migration and trade. 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Used By

Ceviche, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Pho, Dishes

Lime is traditionally served as a wedge for the diner to add individually, kept out of the broth itself so it does not cloud it.

Tom Yum, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Sources
1. Lime (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section
Quote, History section
Limes reached Micronesia and Polynesia through the Austronesian expansion (c. 3000-1500 BCE), and later the Middle East and Mediterranean through the spice trade by at least 1200 BCE.
View the Source
The Oxford Companion to Food
Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press, 2014
A Taste of Vietnam, from Hearty Sour Broths to Fragrantly Spiced Street Food (National Geographic)
Thuy Diem Pham, National Geographic, 2023Used By: Vietnamese CuisineView the Source
What Pho Can Teach Us About the History of Vietnam (National Geographic)
Ryley Graham, National Geographic, 2025Used By: PhoView the Source

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