There wouldn’t be a key lime pie without key limes, so let’s begin with the fruit. Limes are the most acidic citrus fruit; 8% citric acid by weight (lemons are 5%). Key limes, in particular, pack a wallop not because of extra acidity, rather less sweetness. Because of the pucker to sweet ratio, key limes are used in Rose’s Lime Juice and are the preferred fruit for Rickeys and Margaritas, so much so they are thought of as “barman’s” lime.
They are also referred to as “Mexican limes”, which is a bit of a misnomer, since the epicenter of limes is Malaysia. Unlike the Meyer lemon that was transplanted directly from China to California, limes almost universally migrated west. First north & west to India then to Persia, where they followed the Islamic empire to al-Andalus – Muslim controlled Spain. From there they hitched a ride to the New World where limes were grown on plantations in the Caribbean and Mexico; spreading into the natural landscape and reverting back to a more wild form.
Limes had been grown in the Americas for 300 years before they became known as ‘key limes’, so how did that happen? 2 things: First, the bigger, juicier Persian or Tahitian Lime (known as Bearss in California), a cross between the key lime and citron gained enough popularity that grocers and sellers would have needed to distinguish the two fruits. Around the same time, a hurricane destroyed the pineapple industry in the Florida Keys, leaving a 10-year period where limes were ascendant. When another hurricane in 1923 destroyed most of the key lime trees in archipelago Florida, growers replanted and grafted the increasingly popular (bigger, sweeter) Persian limes.
Key lime pie is a dish that evolved in very localized conditions. Before the overland highway connected the Keys to mainland Florida, there were no regular milk deliveries, no dairy industry, sporadic electricity, not a lot of ice or refrigeration – so sweetened, condensed milk would have been about the only affordable option for dairy in the Keys. Likewise, the shelf life of a Graham crackers would have made for a more viable option than a butter or even lard pastry crust. Although some argue sweetened whipped cream is authentic top for key lime pie, that is doubtful for all the reasons listed above. And a meringue topping would have made use of the egg whites left out of the custard base, plus meringue would have the added bonus of lasting more than an hour in tropical conditions.
As for where to find key limes in Portland, had you waited for my answer, I would have suggested stores that specialize in Mexican or Asian/Indian/Persian goods. My second choice would have been mixing the juice of kaffir limes with Perisan limes. Like a great or horrible manager, I delayed my response and left you to your own industriousness: You found key limes at Fred Meyer, I would have never guessed that.
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