Curry Tree

Curry Tree Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Rosids Order: Sapindales Family: Rutaceae Genus: Murraya Species: M. koenigii Binomial name Murraya koenigii (L.) Sprengel[1]

The small flowers are white and fragrant. Ripe and unripe fruits Jayanti in Buxa Tiger Reserve in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India.

The curry tree (Murraya koenigii; syn. Bergera koenigii, Chalcas koenigii) (Bengali: কারিগাছ karigas, Hindi: कढी पत्ता kaṛhī pattā, Kannada: ಕರಿಬೇವಿನ ಸೊಪ್ಪು karibēvina soppu, ಕರಿಬೇವಾ ಪಾಲ್ಲೋ karibēvā pāllō, Malayalam: കറിവേപ്പില karivēppila, Marathi: कढीलिंब kaḍhīlimbă, Konkani: कर्बील karbīl, कडीपात kaḍīpāt, Sinhala: කරපින්චා karapincha, Tamil: கறிவேப்பிலை karivēppilai, Telugu: కరివేపాకు karivēpāku) is a tropical to sub-tropical tree in the family Rutaceae, which is native to India. Often used in curries, the leaves go by the name "curry leaves." They also called "sweet neem leaves." The Tamil and Kannada names literally mean 'black neem', as the appearance of the leaves is similar to the bitter neem leaves. However, the curry tree is not related to the neem tree. Curry leaves are also different from bay leaves or basil leaves, which are aromatic leaves from the Mediterranean.

Description

It is a small tree, growing 4-6 m tall, with a trunk up to 40cm diameter. The leaves are pinnate, with 11-21 leaflets, each leaflet 2-4 cm long and 1-2 cm broad. They are highly aromatic. The flowers are small, white, and fragrant. The small black shiny berries are edible, but their seeds are poisonous.

The species name commemorates the botanist Johann König.

Names

Names for the leaves include Hindi kaṛhī pattā (pattā meaning leaf and kaṛhī being a popular dish that consists of a sauce made from yogurt, a popular dish this leaf is used to spice), Gujarati mithho limdo, and Marathi kadhilimba. The small and narrow leaves somewhat resemble the leaves of the neem tree; therefore, they are also referred to as karivepaku in Telugu (āku means leaf), kariveppilai in Tamil and Malayalam, karu/kari meaning 'black', ilai meaning 'leaves', and veppilai meaning 'neem leaf'. In the Kannada language it is known as kari bevu. Other names include Assamese noroxingha, Oriya bhursunga patra, and Sinhalese karapincha.^[2]

Uses

The leaves are highly valued as seasoning in southern and west-coast Indian cooking, and Sri Lankan cooking, much like bay leaves, and especially in curries, usually fried along with the chopped onion in the first stage of the preparation. They are also used to make thoran, vada, rasam and kadhi. In their fresh form, they have a short shelf life, and they don't keep well in the refrigerator. They are also available dried, though the aroma is largely inferior.

The leaves of Murraya koenigii are also used as a herb in Ayurvedic medicine. Their properties include much value as an anti-diabetic,^[3] antioxidant,^[4] antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-hypercholesterolemic etc. Curry leaves are also known to be good for hair, for keeping it healthy and long.

Although most commonly used in curries, leaves from the curry tree can be used in many other dishes to add spice.

Propagation

Seeds must be planted fresh; dried or shriveled fruits are not viable. Plant either the whole fruit (or remove the pulp) in potting mix and keep moist but not wet.

References

External links

• Gernot Katzer's Herb Pages on curry leaves
• Plant Cultures: botany, history and uses of curry leaf plant