Kaffir lime

Kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix )

The kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix ), also kaffir lime, or Mauritius Papeda, is a species of the genus citrus plants (Citrus ) within the family of Rutaceae ( Rutaceae ). It is used as a spice and medicinal plant.

Origin

The kaffir lime is native to tropical Asia and is probably native to the Malay Peninsula. It is now cultivated in all countries of the peninsula and also in Indonesia and was spread by emigrants in the Caribbean and the United States.

Description

The kaffir lime is a midget tree or shrub with thorny branches reinforced. The leaf stalks are strongly broadened ( " winged " ), giving the impression of two grown together in the longitudinal direction leaves. The leaves are covered with high gloss and with a layer of wax.

From the white, relatively small flowers are pear-shaped fruits that are typically only 6 cm in size develop. The uneven, grobwarzige shell turns in the course of ripening from dark green to yellow. However, kaffir lime fruits are almost always immature, so green, traded.

Ingredients

The whole kaffir lime plant smells strongly aromatic and penetrating lemon similar. This odor is due to the Monoterpenaldehyd citronellal. In the pericarp monoterpene hydrocarbons were similar to lemon and lime, identified as limonene as the main component.

Use

Kaffir limes are small and saftarm; therefore, they play no role for the production of soft drinks. Besides the use of kaffir lime oil in perfumery, the plant is significant especially in the culinary arts of Southeast Asia and the French overseas department of La Reunion.

In the kitchen is used mostly fresh leaves. They can be similar to European bay leaves, leave to cook yourself in soßigen or soupy dishes, releasing a zesty lemon - like flavor to the food; However, they are too tough to be eaten. In Thailand and Vietnam to cut the leaves into thin strips hair, making it stronger flavor and can be eaten without any problems; in this form they are used to Northern Thai spicy meat salads. In Thailand and Cambodia, it also prepares spice pastes containing grated kaffir lime leaves.

In Malaysia and Indonesia, the kaffir lime fruits are used for seasoning. It is allowed to either coarsely chopped or crushed kaffir lime in stews cook yourself ( thereby inevitably develops a little bitterness from the mesocarp ), or uses only the outermost layer of the shell ( exocarp ).

In La Reunion the chopped fruits or the Rougail Samoussas be added.