Do I have to soak the Esrog?

amother

Honeydew ↓

Tue, Oct 06 2015, 3:58 pm

For medical reasons I will be laid up for the next few weeks so my only chance to cook our esrogim for Tu b'Shvat is before Shabbos, that means they'll be no time to soak them for a week as recommended.

Is it essential that I soak the esrog/im? Will it still taste okay if I cook right away?

amother

Beige

Tue, Oct 06 2015, 7:43 pm

Please don't eat your esrogim. Because they are grown for ritual purposes rather than culinary ones, standards for pesticide residue on food don't apply. Because the emphasis is on physical perfection, they are very heavily laden with pesticides of all kinds.

If you grow your own without pesticides, you still have to soak it because it's naturally very bitter. I can only surmise that the fruit in Biblical times was tasty, and that in modern times breeding to enhance hardiness and ability to withstand global travel came with a price, that price being extreme bitterness of flavor.

Telling you this as amother once renowned for my esrog jam and liqueur. I no longer use esrogim for culinary purposes.

Volunteer

Tue, Oct 06 2015, 9:06 pm

According to the usda, the most effective way to remove pesticides from produce is to soak in water for 5 minutes, then scrub under running water with a vegetable brush or clean cloth.

sgr

Tue, Oct 06 2015, 9:36 pm

Yes you do have to soak it I soak mine for a week changing water every day but the good news is you can start soaking it once you are feeling better and able to get up the esrog will be just fine in another week to start soaking

dee's mommy

Tue, Oct 06 2015, 9:37 pm

Please check to make sure that your esrog was not grown in Eretz Yisroel. Last year was a shmitta year, and your esrog could be affected. Please consult your Rav on what to do with it.

Rubber Ducky

Tue, Oct 06 2015, 10:15 pm

amother wrote:

[Esrogim are] ...naturally very bitter. I can only surmise that the fruit in Biblical times was tasty, and that in modern times breeding to enhance hardiness and ability to withstand global travel came with a price, that price being extreme bitterness of flavor.

Many citrus, such as lemon and grapefruit, have a bitter pith (that's the white part under the colored outer peel). In fact, in making candied grapefruit, the peel/pith is customarily soaked and boiled first to get rid of the bitterness. Esrog is mostly pith, so it's not surprising that the taste is bitter. And if someone was trying to breed a hardier esrog, it didn't work — it's the least hardy of any citrus I'm familiar with.

amother

↑ Honeydew ↓

Wed, Oct 07 2015, 12:35 pm

sgr wrote:

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I will be laid up for a few weeks (read: 6-7 weeks) and if I wait until then it'll be all shrivelled up.

rdmom

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 7:28 am

My mom in law makes esrog compote. I know she soaks them for however long it takes her to make the compote. It can sometimes sit and soak for a few weeks until she gets to it. One time I forgot to send her the esrog right away and she told me to put it in water and send it to her when I have a chance.

Side note. One year I sent it too late. She had already made the compote. She kept my esrog soaking In water until the next year. It was a beauty. She says erev Sukkos the esrog went bad. But after sitting in water a full year it still looked amazing.

amother

↑ Honeydew ↓

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 8:43 am

rdmom wrote:

Interesting as one year I left it until almost Tu b'Shvat and it was perfect. The next year after a month it started getting moldy that's why I'm afraid to leave it this long. I wonder if anyone can tell me how to keep it fresh until I'm able to cook it.

amother

↑ Honeydew

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 8:52 am

Iymnok wrote:

I saw a recipe once that called for boiling it then dumping the water like six times. Supposedly to do the same thing.

Actually, I do that too. After soaking.