Kaffir lime

Kaffir lime


Citrus × hystrix'
Citrus hystrix on sale
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Citrus
Species: C. hystrix
Binomial name
Citrus × hystrix'
DC. [1]
Synonyms

Citrus torosa Blanco

The kaffir lime, Citrus × hystrix, Rutaceae), is also known as combava, kieffer lime, limau purut[2], jeruk purut or makrut lime, Kabuyao (Cabuyao). [1] It is a lime native to Indochinese and Malesian ecoregions in India, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, and adjacent countries. It is used in Southeast Asian cuisine.

Contents

Description

Citrus × hystrix is a thorny bush with aromatic and distinctively shaped "double" leaves. The kaffir lime is a rough, warty green fruit. The green lime fruit is distinguished by its bumpy exterior and its small size (approx. 4 cm wide).

Uses

Citrus hystrix Kabuyao(Cabuyao) fruit (left), used in Southeast Asian cooking, with galangal root.
Kaffir lime leaves are used in some South East Asian cusines such as Indonesian, Lao, Cambodian, and Thai (มะกรูด).

Cuisine

The rind of the kaffir lime is commonly used in Lao and Thai curry paste, adding an aromatic, astringent flavor. The zest of the fruit is used in creole cuisine and to impart flavor to "arranged" rums in the Martinique, Réunion island and Madagascar.

The leaves can be used fresh or dried, and can be stored frozen. Its hourglass-shaped leaves (comprising the leaf blade plus a flattened, leaf-like leaf-stalk or petiole) are widely used in Thai and Lao cuisine (for dishes such as tom yum), and Cambodian cuisine (for the base paste "Krueng"). The leaves are used in Indonesian cuisine (especially Balinese cuisine and Javanese cuisine), for foods such as sayur asam, and are used along with Indonesian bay leaf for chicken and fish. They are also found in Malaysian[3] and Burmese cuisines.

Medicinal

The juice and rinds are used in traditional Indonesian medicine; for this reason the fruit is referred to in Indonesia as jeruk obat ("medicine citrus"). The oil from the rind has strong insecticidal properties. The juice is generally regarded as too acidic to use in food preparation, but finds use as a cleanser for clothing and hair in Thailand.

Cultivation

Citrus x hystrix is grown worldwide in suitable climates as a garden shrub for home fruit production. It is well suited to container gardens and large garden pots on patios, terraces, and in conservatories.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b GRIN . accessed 5.5.2011
  2. ^ Limau Purut.
  3. ^ Handy Pocket Guide to Asian Herbs & Spices By Wendy Hutton, Alberto Cassio

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kaffir lime — Combava Cumbava …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kaffir lime — /kæfə ˈlaɪm/ (say kafuh luym) noun → lime2 (def. 2). Also, kaffir lime …  

  • kaffir lime — noun A fragrant, small species of lime native to Southeast Asia. Syn: kieffer lime, markut, magood …   Wiktionary

  • Kaffir lime — noun Date: 1978 a citrus tree (Citrus hystrix) of southeastern Asia having aromatic leaves and roundish thick rinded green fruits used especially in Thai cooking; also its leaves or fruit …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • kaffir lime — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Kaffir — may refer to:Islam* Kafir, an Islamic term usually translated as unbeliever similar to the Christian word pagan or Hebrew word koffer . In arabic it means ingrate and refers to someone ungrateful towards Allah.Afghanistan* Kafiristan, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Kaffir (ethnic slur) — Kaffir, kaffer or kafir, which once was a blanket term for black southern Africans (see Kaffir (historical usage in southern Africa)), is now utilized exclusively as an ethnic or racial slur. The original meaning of the word was heathen ,… …   Wikipedia

  • Lime (fruit) — For other uses, see Lime (disambiguation). Unripened Key limes Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing …   Wikipedia

  • Lime — NOTOC Lime may refer to:Fruits*Lime (fruit), various green to yellow citrus fruits **Australian lime **Blood lime **Kaffir lime **Key lime **Persian lime **Spanish lime **Sweet lime **Wild lime *Lime tree, a common name for members of the genus… …   Wikipedia

  • lime — I. /laɪm / (say luym) noun 1. the oxide of calcium, CaO, a white caustic solid (quicklime or unslaked lime) prepared by calcining limestone, etc., used in making mortar and cement. When treated with water it produces calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2,… …  

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”