Home ›› 11 Dec 2021 ›› News
Lemon consumption suddenly increased last year when the Covid-19 spread was at its peak, with several claims making the rounds on social media that the citrus fruit could keep people safe from the deadly virus.
No official data is available, but traders in several markets in the capital reminisced about last year, saying lemon sales had risen considerably all of a sudden at the time.
“There were claims that lemon could cure Covid-19 or strengthen the immune system against the virus. I remember people buying a lot of lemon at the time,” Md Shahid Miah, who sells daily essential commodities at Mohammadpur kitchen market, told The Business Post.
Newspaper articles were also published at the time where health experts suggested that people eat a lot of vitamin C and food rich in antioxidants as they might play a role in preventing coronavirus infections.
“This might have driven lemon sales further as the fruit contains a high level of vitamin C. Besides, people trust and act on expert suggestions more than word-of-mouth or social media information,” dietician and nutritionist at Milvik Bangladesh Farzana Ahmed told The Business Post.
Talking about lemon’s health benefits, she said every person needs to consume one or two slices of a medium-sized lemon every day.
Two teaspoons would be enough in case of liquid lemon to meet the vitamin C intake requirement, she added.
The claim that lemon could fight Covid-19 also spread in India when the second wave of the pandemic wreaked havoc in the country in April-May this year, infecting and killing scores.
But experts later identified this as misinformation. They said Vitamin C is essential to human health and immunity, but there was no evidence that consuming lemons would fight off coronavirus. The Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh has become somewhat normal, but Dhaka’s kitchen market traders said they still sell lots of lemons, though not as much as last year.
They said lemon is among the most sold vegetables all year round because of its huge demand.
One possible explanation for this high demand is that people in the past used to buy lemons occasionally either as a salad ingredient to serve with cucumbers and tomatoes or to make lemon juice in summer, but there are now multiple uses of it.
Different lemon varieties are grown in Bangladesh, including Bonnie Brae, Bush, Eureka, Sorrento, Jhambiri, Lisbon, Meyer, Ponderosa, Variegated Pink, and Verna.
There are currently about 60,000 restaurants across the country, with more than 8,000 in the capital alone, according to Bangladesh Restaurant Owners’ Association. There are restaurants selling Thai, Indian, Chinese, and Mexican cuisine, and lemon is served with most of the items, which is another reason why the demand for the fruit is always high.
Hotel 71 is one of the most popular three-star hotels in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar. Its chief chef Md Sajib Hossain told The Business Post he had been in this profession for over 12 years.
“I worked in many countries, except for Bangladesh, before joining Hotel 71 in 2019. Lemon is the most essential item of a perfect kitchen. There are four kitchens in our restaurant, and we use up to 200 lemons per day,” he said.
He said lemon has the magic to change the colour, texture, and smell of any dish. “I normally prefer batabi lebu (lime) because it is very aromatic and delicious.”
Lemon is used a lot in skincare too. It helps with hair fall. Sharmin Sultana, owner and beautician of Women Angel Beauty Parlour in Shantinagar, said lemon is a must for fruit facial or spa.
“It reduces skin tanning and fights against dandruff too. Lemon is a very essential element for beauty-conscious women not only in Bangladesh but also all over the world.”
