This chapter, dedicated to the citron in Corsica and written by Franck Curk (INRAE, Agap Institut, Montpellier, France), David Karp (University of California, Riverside, USA), Pierre-Jean Campocasso (Musée de La Corse, Corte, France) and François Luro (INRAE, Agap Institut, San Giuliano, France), is part of a comprehensive work written in English in an accessible scientific style, aimed at a wide audience: The Citron Compendium.
It covers various theoretical and practical aspects of citrus cultivation in twenty-two chapters written by authors from all over the world (Israel, Italy, France, USA, China and Australia). The citron (Citrus medica L.), ancestor of most citrus fruits such as lemons and limes, is used in traditional medicine and is highly venerated in the Jewish religion during the Feast of Tabernacles.
The chapter dedicated to the Corsican citron tells the story of this fruit and its genetic and geographical origins. The rise of production on the island, its glorious period between 1820 and 1920, and then its decline are detailed and explained. We also discover some unusual stories, such as the existence of musical pieces composed at the very beginning of the 20th century by François Minichetti (known as François Detoga) in honor of the citron.

Abstract

Corsican’ is an acidless citron derived from ‘Poncire Commun’ and has long been the cultivar almost exclusively grown on Corsica. Citron arrived there by the eighteenth century and was commercially important from the 1820s to the 1920s. Its cultivation boomed in the second half of the nineteenth century, when Corsican citron was renowned for its high quality, sometimes brought high prices, and was perceived as a path to quick riches. Cultivation started on Cap Corse and shifted to the Eastern Plain. Most of the crop was brined, candied, and sold to northern Europe, Great Britain, and the United States for use in baking cakes. Livorno was the center of the citron candying industry. The greatest obstacles for Corsican producers were mainland France’s disadvantageous sugar tariff policy for Corsica and growing international competition, which resulted in the commercial industry’s decline by the 1930s. Currently Corsican growers raise citron on c. 15 ha and harvest 60–100 mt annually