Without a doubt, my biggest pet peeve when it comes to cooking is the rampant use of the phrase "key lime," even when no key limes are present. This agitation surfaced a little last month when I shared the Key Lime Dream ice cream, and I've been meaning to offer a little tutorial to do my part in ridding the world of this scourge.
First, I want to share what Key limes are NOT: They are not Persian Limes (the garden variety you pick up at the grocery store). These easy-to-find suckers are bigger, greener, thicker skinned, less aromatic, and contain less bitterness.
Now, with that out of the way, head through the jump to learn about Key limes.
Key limes are smaller, thin-skinned little balls that are often sold green, but are yellow when ripe. These guys have more acidity and a more tart and bitter flavor than their larger counterparts. If you don't believe me, at least believe the wonderful Kermit:
Kermit might use his own special mixture of Key lime juice and other ingredients for his pies, but it's still real Key lime juice in there, not Persians.
Sure, if you can't find a bag of Key limes, you can use other limes and deal with the change in flavor, just don't pass them off as the real thing. There's no shame in lime pie. There is, however, shame in using the label when no Key limes have been used.
10 More Dirty Restaurant Tricks
5 Things You Didn't Know About Turducken
10 Catchiest Food Jingles We Love to Hate
