Kaffir lime: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Citrus fruit native to tropical Southeast Asia}}

{{Speciesbox

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Its fruit and leaves are used in [[Southeast Asian cuisine]], and its [[Petitgrain|essential oil]] is used in perfumery. Its rind and crushed leaves emit an intense citrus fragrance.

==Names==

[[File:Citrus hystrix Blanco2.408-cropped.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Illustration of ''C. hystrix'' by [[Francisco Manuel Blanco]]]]

The most likely [[etymology]] is through the [[Sri Lanka Kaffirs|Kaffirs]], an ethnic group in [[Sri Lanka]] partly descended from enslaved [[Bantu peoples|Bantu]]. The earliest known reference, under the alternative spelling "caffre" is in the 1888 book ''The Cultivated Oranges, Lemons Etc. of India and Ceylon'' by [[Emanuel Bonavia]], who notes, "The plantation [[coolie]]s also smear it over their feet and legs, to keep off land [[leech]]es; and therefore in Ceylon [Sri Lanka] it has also got the name of ''Kudalu dchi'', or Leech Lime. Europeans call it Caffre Lime." Similarly, H.F. MacMillan's 1910 book ''A Handbook of Tropical Gardening and Planting'' notes, "The 'Kaffir Lime' in Ceylon."

Another proposed etymology is directly by Indian Muslims of the imported fruit from the non-Muslim lands to the east to "convey otherness and exotic provenance." Claims that the name of the fruit derives directly from the [[South Africa]]n ethnic slur "[[Kaffir (racial term)|kaffir]]" ''(see "South Africa" below)'' are not well supported.

''C. hystrix'' is known by various names in its native areas:

* {{lang|jv|jêruk purut}} in [[Javanese language|Javanese]] and {{lang|ms|limau purut}} in [[Malay language|Malay]] (respectively into [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] and [[Malaysian language|Malaysian]]) both meaning "warty/rough-skinned lime" due to the fruit's bumpy texture.

* {{transliteration|zh|jiàn yè chéng}} ({{lang|zh|箭叶橙}} "arrow-leaf lime") in [[Chinese language|Chinese]].

*  {{lang|fr|combava}} in [[Réunion]] Island

The [[Citrus micrantha|micrantha]], a similar citrus fruit native to the Philippines that is ancestral to several hybrid limes, such as the [[Key lime]] and [[Persian lime]], may represent the same species as ''C. hystrix'', but the genomic characterization of the kaffir lime has not been performed in sufficient detail to allow a definitive conclusion.

===South Africa===

In South Africa, the Arabic ''kafir'' was adopted by white colonialists as "[[Kaffir (racial term)|kaffir]]," an ethnic slur for Black Africans. Consequently, some authors favour switching from "kaffir lime" to "makrut lime," a less well-known name, while in South Africa, it is usually referred to as "Thai lime".

==Description==

''C. hystrix'' is a thorny shrub or small tree, {{convert|6|to|35|ft|0|disp=flip}} tall, with aromatic and [[leaf shape|distinctively shaped "double" leaves]]. These hourglass-shaped leaves comprise the leaf blade plus a flattened, leaf-like stalk (botanically, a winged [[petiole (botany)|petiole]]). The fruit is rough and green and ripens to yellow; it is distinguished by its bumpy exterior and small size, approximately {{convert|4|cm|0|abbr=on}} wide. The fruits have thick skins ([[Fruit_(plant_structure)#Pericarp_layers|pericarps]]) and taste very acidic and slightly bitter. Flowers can have four to five petals that are white in color and are fragrant.

==History==

[[Pierre Sonnerat]] (1748–1814) collected specimens of it in 1771–72, and it appears in Lamarck's Encyclopédie Méthodique (1796).

Makrut lime appears in texts under the name of kaffir lime in 1868, in Ceylon, where rubbing the juice onto legs and socks prevents leech bites. This could be a possible origin of the name leech lime.

==Uses==

=== Culinary ===

''C. hystrix'' leaves are used in Southeast Asian cuisines such as [[Indonesian cuisine|Indonesian]], [[Laotian cuisine|Laotian]], [[Cambodian cuisine|Cambodian]], and [[Thai cuisine|Thai]]. The leaves are the most frequently used part of the plant, fresh, dried, or frozen. The leaves are widely used in [[Thai cuisine]] (for dishes such as [[tom yum]]) and [[Cambodian cuisine]] (for the base paste "[[Kroeung|krueng]]"). The leaves are used in [[Vietnamese cuisine]] to add fragrance to chicken dishes and to decrease the pungent odor when steaming snails. Also, in Vietnamese villages that harvest [[silkworms]], the silkworms in the [[pupa]] stage are [[stir-fried]] with the kaffir lime leaves. The leaves are used in [[Cuisine of Indonesia|Indonesian cuisine]] (especially [[Balinese cuisine]] and [[Javanese cuisine]]) for foods such as [[soto ayam]] and are used along with [[Syzygium polyanthum|Indonesian bay leaf]] for chicken and fish. They are also found in [[Cuisine of Malaysia|Malaysian]] and [[Cuisine of Myanmar|Burmese]] cuisines.

===Medicinal===

The juice and rinds of the peel are used in traditional medicine in some Asian countries; the fruit's juice is often used in shampoo and is believed to kill head lice.

===Other uses===

The juice is used as a cleanser for clothing and hair in Thailand and occasionally in Cambodia. [[Lustral water]] mixed with slices of the fruit is used in religious ceremonies in Cambodia.

Makrut lime oil is used as raw material in many fields, including pharmaceutical, agronomic, food, sanitary, cosmetic, and perfume industries. It is also used extensively in aromatherapy and as an essential ingredient in various cosmetic and beauty products.

<gallery>

File:Fish stuffed with Thai herbs.jpg|[[Channa striata|Striped snakehead]] fish stuffed with ''C. hystrix'' and [[Cymbopogon|lemongrass]] in preparation for steaming

</gallery>

==Cultivation==

[[File:Kaffir Lime (Citrus hystrix) 1.jpg|thumb|Small ''C. hystrix'' shrub in pot]]

''C. hystrix'' is grown worldwide in suitable climates as a garden shrub for home fruit production. It is well suited to [[container garden]]s and for large [[flower pot|garden pots]] on [[patio]]s, [[Terrace (building)|terraces]], and in conservatories.

==Main constituents==

The compound responsible for the characteristic aroma was identified as [[citronellal|(–)-(''S'')-citronellal]], which is contained in the leaf oil up to 80 percent; minor components include [[citronellol]] (10 percent), [[nerol]] and [[limonene]].

From a stereochemical point of view, it is remarkable that makrut lime leaves contain only the (''S'') [[stereoisomer]] of citronellal, whereas its [[enantiomer]], (+)-(''R'')-citronellal is found in both [[lemon balm]] and (to a lesser degree) [[lemon grass]], (however, citronellal is only a trace component in the latter's essential oil).

Makrut lime fruit peel contains an essential oil comparable to lime fruit peel oil; its main components are limonene and [[pinene|β-pinene]].

==Toxicity==

''C. hystrix'' contains significant quantities of [[furanocoumarins]], in both the peel and the pulp. Furanocoumarins are known to cause [[phytophotodermatitis]], a potentially severe skin inflammation. Cases of phytophotodermatitis induced by external use of ''C.&nbsp;hystrix'' have been reported.

==See also==

{{Commons category|Citrus hystrix}}

*[[Citrus taxonomy]]

{{Citrus}}

[[Category:Southeast Asian cuisine]]

[[Category:Limes (fruit)]]

[[Category:Austronesian agriculture]]

{{二次利用|date=28 June 2025, at 19:50}}