What it means
آبلیمو (ablimu) means the fresh-squeezed juice of a lime or lemon. The word is a compound: آب (ab) is the native Persian word for water or liquid, and لیمو (limu) traces back to Sanskrit nimbū, which spread widely across Persian, Arabic, and European languages along ancient trade routes. Because the word is a compound formed inside Persian, it is treated as a single everyday noun rather than a loanword. In Iranian cooking, آبلیمو (ablimu) almost always means lime juice, since the small green Persian lime is far more common than yellow lemons in Iranian markets. It is frequently contrasted with آبنارنج (ab-narenj, bitter orange juice) in older recipes.
How to use it
- یه کم آبلیمو رو کباب بچکون. (Ye kam ablimu ro kabab bechekun.) “Squeeze a little lime juice onto the kebab.”
- آبلیمو تازه داری؟ (Ablimu-ye taze dari?) “Do you have fresh lime juice?”
- این خورش آبلیمو لازم داره. (In khoresh ablimu lazem dare.) “This stew needs lime juice.”
- آبلیمو و نمک برای ماهی کافیه. (Ablimu o namak baraye mahi kafiye.) “Lime juice and salt are enough for fish.”
Cultural note
A small pitcher of آبلیمو (ablimu) sits alongside almost every Iranian meal, ready to brighten rice dishes, stews, and grilled meats. The Persian lime, a seedless hybrid originally cultivated in Iran, now supplies most of the world’s lime market and carries the name Persian lime precisely because of its Iranian origins. In summer, آبلیمو (ablimu) diluted with water, sugar, and a pinch of salt becomes a simple cooling drink sold by street vendors across Iran.