Buddha's Hand

It's a squid! It's a flame! It's a Buddha's Hand citron, now playing at an upscale grocery near you. The first time I saw this fruit, I laughed out loud. Looking at it makes me happy, and it apparently has the same effect on at least a billion other people: in China it's been a symbol of happiness and long life since the 10th century, appearing on lacquered screens and in jade and ivory carvings.

Its ancestor, the ordinary citron, originated in India or southwestern China and looks like a large lumpy lemon; the Buddha's Hand (Citrus medic var. sarcodactylis) is a happy genetic mutation.

In Japan it's called bushukan and is believed to bring good fortune, making it a popular New Year's gift.

If you don't get fixated on the "hand" thing, you can chop up the fingers and boil them in sugar syrup to make sweet-tart candied fruit. But don't hope for citron-ade: you'll get almost as much water from a stone as juice from a Buddha's Hand citron! Its value lies in its fragrance and its serendipitous form. Some things are just cool. Happy new year.