KAFFIR LIME (Citrus hystrix)

Kaffir Lime is a citrus tree native to tropical S.E. Asia.  Unfortunately, its common name is also used as an ethnic slur in South Africa although the name is thought to originate in Ceylon... deriving from the Arabic word kafir meaning infidel. There is a gradual PC movement to have the lime go by its Thai name which is Makrut Lime although I have used the old name up top because most of the world still knows the plant by that.

Kaffir Lime leaves are synonymous with that flavor of Thai curry that we all love.  Thai restaurants seem to be in every city of the world these days, so we have got used to this exotic leaf.  I realized how much it had conquered the world when I saw fresh Kaffir Lime leaves being sold in a supermarket in Iceland.  I am not much of a cook but have always fancied being able to try my hand at Thai cooking.  I even took a cooking class once in Thailand where I realized it was a rather complex task to prepare the spice base.  Thankfully now I can buy Thai curry paste already prepared at my supermarket and make up an easy Thai meal in 20 minutes or so.  Just cook together the paste, vegetables, canned coconut cream, and some cooked meat together in a pan. Then of course you can add a few Kaffir Lime leaves to the mix, and you really have that authentic taste and appearance.

I have a small Kaffir Lime tree growing in a pot.  It is several years old, but it is still small and bonsai like, because of keeping it root bound in a small pot.  Some years ago, I spied a Kaffir lime fruit on the ground at a botanical park and took it home with me to see if I could get some seeds growing from it.   This gave me my first tree which I planted out in the garden.  However, it became such a gangly, sprawling tree with big sharp thorns that I decided I did not want it in my yard.  That is why I now keep my Kaffir Lime as a small tree in a pot.  It is not as if I am using the leaves on a daily basis, so this small tree is just a nice addition to my herb garden.  I could see it doing well on a patio if you live in an apartment.  If it grows too big it is an easy matter of pruning it down to size and then you can freeze the removed leaves for later use.

The rind of the small bumpy fruit can be used for flavoring as well as the leaves.  The actual inside of the fruit is rather fibrous and sour with lots of seeds so not usually used.  When making your Thai curry you can add whole leaves to flavor it, or you can cut up the leaves in thin strips after removing the midrib.

Healthy leaf on the right while the two on
the left have leaf miner problem.

The Kaffir Lime has a different looking double wing leaf appearance.  I believe I am right in saying that this shows it to be of ancient citrus origin.  There are a few other citrus trees that show similar leaves like my Jambhiri Lemon. (June, 2013 )  The Kaffir Lime flowers in spring to produce its fruit in the summer.  I am still waiting for that to happen on my tiny tree.  Trees can be propagated from seed or cuttings or even from a single leaf.  Like all citrus trees, it likes water and extra feeding at least a few times a year.  I do have a problem with citrus leaf miner on the leaves sometimes. At first you see the silvery trails of the leaf miner in the leaves and then the leaves curl up.  I usually just pull off the old, affected leaves and the plant will grow healthy new ones.

Aloha