Zest Was Originally Orange Peel
Zest is great enthusiasm, and the outer peel of a citrus fruit. The peel came first.
Zest is the coloured outer peel of a citrus fruit, and by extension keen enjoyment. The peel came first: French *zeste* named the orange or lemon rind used to flavour food and drink, and the figurative sense of something that adds relish followed naturally. The flavour lives in the coloured layer only: the white pith beneath is bitter, which is why a zester takes a thin shaving and a grater pressed too hard spoils the result.
- Citrus peel. *Lemon zest.*
- Enthusiasm. *A zest for life.*
- To grate peel. *Zesting a lemon.*
- Zesty. *A zesty flavour.*
- French — *zeste*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | zest | Zest. |
| Verb | zest | Zesting. |
| Adjective | zesty | Zesty. |
| Agent | zester | A zester. |
| French | zeste | Peel. |
- Add the lemon zest.Cooking.
- A zest for life.Figurative.
- The pith is bitter.Technique.
Where the flavour is
- The coloured outer layer holds the aromatic oils
- The white pith beneath is bitter and should be avoided
- A zester takes only the top layer
- Rubbing sugar on the fruit extracts the oil directly
- Dried zest loses most of its aroma
French *zeste*, orange or lemon peel, of unknown earlier origin.
Which sense of zest came first?
The citrus peel. The sense of keen enjoyment came from the idea of something that adds relish.
Why avoid the pith when zesting?
The aromatic oils are in the coloured layer only; the white pith beneath is bitter.