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Lemons have a long and questionable history. Many countries claim to be its birthplace, including China, Malaysia, Iran, and the Indus Valley. The latter may win given the discovery of a lemon-shaped earring there, dating from 2500BC. In the second century of our era, lemons were grown in Libya and exported to Rome. There is even a picture of lemon in the mosaic at Pompeii. Lemon's popularity grew during the Middle Ages, when it was called upon to spice up bland meals. And, in an usual twist (ha-ha) lemons were used by the ladies in the court of Louis XIV to accent their lips with a touch of rouge.