Kaffir lime

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Citrus x hystrix

Citrus hystrix on sale

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Subclass:	Rosidae
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Rutaceae
Genus:	Citrus
Species:	C. x

Binomial name

Citrus x hystrix
L.

The Kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix DC., Rutaceae), also known as kieffer lime, is native to Indonesia but widely grown worldwide as a backyard shrub.

Other names forCitrus x hystrix: Burma: shauk-nu, shauk-waing Cambodia: krauch soeuch China: fatt-fung-kam Malaysia: limau purut Indonesia: jeruk purut, jeruk sambal Philippines: swangi Sri Lanka: kahpiri dehi, odu dehi, kudala-dehi Thailand: makrut, som makrut

A very thorny bush with aromatic leaves. The oil from the rind of the rough, bumpy fruit has strong insecticidal properties. Well suited to container growing. The green lime fruits are distinguished by their bumpy exterior and their small size (approx. 4 cm wide), and the hourglass-shaped leaves (actually, the leaf and the leaf-shaped stem or phyllode) are widely used in Cambodian, Thai, and Lao Cuisine.

Citrus x hystrix leaves are also popular in Cambodia, but less so in Vietnam. Malay, Burmese and Indonesian (especially, Balinese and Javanese; see also Indonesian bay leaf) cuisines use them sporadically with chicken and fish.

The leaves can be used fresh or dried, and can be stored frozen.

Although the most common product of the Citrus x hystrix tree is its leaves (which impart a sharp lime/neroli flavour to Cambodian base paste known as "Krueng", Thai dishes such as tom yum, and to Indonesian food such as sayur assam - literally sour vegetables), the juice and rinds of the small, dark green gnarled fruit (known as jeruk obat - literally medicine citrus) are used in traditional Indonesian medicine.

As for the zest, it is widely used in creole cuisine and to impart flavor to "arranged" rums in the Réunion island and Madagascar.

For other types of lime, see lime (fruit).