Etrog - Size and Shape

Size and Shape

The fruit is ready to harvest when it reaches about 15 cm (six inches) in length. For commercial use it is generally harvested no earlier than January when it is at optimum size. However, for ritual use it must be picked while still small in order to reach the market in time. The optimal size is also the best for marketability, as by growing larger it may lose some of its beauty. Since the citron blooms several times a season, fruit may also be picked during July and August, and even in June. According to Halacha the fruit must only reach the size of a hen's egg in order to be considered kosher, but larger sizes are preferred as long as they can be held with one hand. Marketwise, a nice size fetches a higher price, so long as the fruit is also good in other aspects. If both hands are needed to hold it, it is still kosher, but less desirable.

The etrog may differ in shape since several citron varieties are used for that purpose, each bearing fruits with a distinct form and shape. Furthermore, a specific variety or even a single tree may also bear fruit in several shapes and sizes. An etrog of completely round shape is not-kosher, whilst a slanted or bent specimen is permissible but not the best. The bearing branch must be arched down with care, in order to get the fruit growing straight in a downward position. Otherwise the body of the fruit will be forced into a downwards curve because of its increasing weight. The practice of arching the branch must be performed very delicately in order not to break the stiff citron twig. While many prefer the pyramid shape of variety etrog, and others prefer the barrel shape of the Diamante, some look for an etrog with a gartel—an hourglass-like strip running around the middle, more commonly found on the Moroccan citron.

According to researchers, this gartel indicates when the bearing tree was infected by a certain virus or viroid, which decreases the albedo on the specific spot. These viroids have been around since at least the time of Bar Kokhba (circa 130 CE), based on the fact that archaeologists have unearthed a mosaic dated to that time which depicts an etrog with a gartel. Only the etrog is found to be susceptible to these viroids, proving again that the etrog is genetically pure and has not changed significantly over the centuries.