What Is Lemon Zest?

So many recipes call for lemonzest for the purpose of infusingintense, lemony flavor into a dish.But what is lemon zest, exactly?.Lemon zest, or the zest of any citrusfruit, simply refers to the outermostlayer of the peel known as the "flavedo.".Lemon zest comes from the peel of alemon, but it does not include the innerlayer of the peel known as the "albedo.".This inner layer contains the "pith,"or the soft, white, substance thathas a naturally bitter taste.so long as you're only removing theoutermost layer of the peel, you canuse zest grated or in large pieces