Zitronatcandied citron peel

Candied peel of the citron, Citrus medica. The fruit holds almost no juice and instead a thick white layer under the skin, and that layer is what gets candied.

In Stollen and in fruit bread it is the bitter counterweight. Without it the loaf tastes flatly sweet; with it every bite has an edge.

In Mexikoin Mexico

Fruta cristalizada is sold at the mercado, but the box is a mixture: fig, chilacayote, dyed cubes, cherries.

Do not buy it unseen. What you want are pieces of citrus peel, glassy, white on the inside. Cherries and cactus are not Zitronat.

Selbst kandierencandying it at home

The best answer, and it takes three days. Cut thick lemon peel into strips and boil them in several changes of fresh water until the harsh bitterness is gone.

Then once a day bring them briefly to the boil in sugar syrup, let them stand, and make the syrup sweeter each time. At the end drain them and dry them on a rack.

Citrus here is good and cheap, and you decide how fine the dice ends up.

Vorsichtcareful

Acitrón looks the part, but it comes from the biznaga, a protected cactus. Do not use it as a substitute.

It also tastes of nothing but sugar. It is missing exactly the bitterness that Zitronat is in the dough for.