Thai dishes often use a wide variety of spices. Lime leaves are especially popular due to the unique, incomparable taste and rich vitamin complex. Kaffir lime is a citrus tree from the root family. Although its fruits are similar to lime, they are practically not used as food, as they have a very sour taste.
general characteristics
India is considered the birthplace of the tree, but it has received the greatest distribution in other countries of Asia. Small tuberous, dark green fruits practically do not contain juice; in rare cases, their peel is used to prepare marinades. Lime leaves of deep green color with a smooth glossy surface are especially appreciated.
The plant retains its useful properties not only in fresh form, but also after drying, heat treatment, freezing. Kaffir lime leaves have a sour, spicy taste and an amazing citrus aroma. They are widely used for cooking Thai, Indonesian, Asian, Malay cuisines.
Application area
Lime leaves have found their application to a greater extent in cooking. All kinds of sauces, seasonings, marinades are prepared on their basis. Useful leaflets perfectly emphasize and reveal the taste of seafood, therefore they are often used for making soups, main dishes with shrimps, octopus tentacles, mussels, scallops.
Along with cooking, fragrant leaves are widely used in cosmetology for the preparation of scrubbing preparations. The richest complex of minerals, vitamins and minerals allows the use of Kaffir lime foliage for medical purposes.
Beneficial features
A product with a high content of valuable components in addition to excellent taste has many useful qualities. The following stand out among them:
- Normalization of the digestive process. The leaves contain a large amount of organic and fatty acids, which are especially necessary for people with low acidity.
- Strengthening immunity. Vitamins A, B, C, E, PP groups contained in a useful product prevent diseases of the viral and infectious forms, reduce the likelihood of complications from colds.
- Analgesic effect. Essential oils, trace elements and valuable substances contained in fresh leaves effectively soothe pain syndromes.
- Decrease in glucose level. For people with varying degrees of diabetes, it is helpful to include lime leaves in your daily diet.
- Soothing effect. Regular consumption of drinks with the addition of aromatic spice has a sedative effect on the body, normalizes the nervous system.
The high content of potassium, phosphorus and other beneficial substances in citrus leaves has an antibacterial, healing effect.
What could harm
Despite its undeniable positive qualities, like any product, fresh lime leaves can be harmful. Citrus plant is contraindicated for people with allergic manifestations, children under the age of 12 years. The child’s body is difficult to digest an exotic product due to its high acid content. Also, experts do not recommend eating dishes containing lime leaves to pregnant and breast-feeding women.
The components in the composition of the beneficial product increase secretion in the digestive process. People suffering from ulcers, pancreatitis, colitis and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, should carefully consider the use of dishes and drugs with kaffir lime leaves.
Proper raw material procurement
An important role in the preservation of the useful qualities of the product is played by storage conditions and the correct preparation of the product. Leaves retain valuable properties in dry and frozen form. They are collected from young trees, washed thoroughly under running water and dried in direct sunlight, in places with good air circulation. This allows you to keep amazing citrus flavor.
As you can see in the photo, lime leaves, even when dried, retain their natural color. Full drying occurs after 7-10 days from the start of the process. Store the finished product in a paper bag for no longer than 1 year. Fresh leaves are often frozen. In this form, they are used in cooking, medicine and cosmetology. With proper storage temperature, they retain valuable properties for up to 6 months. Even fresh, the leaves of a citrus tree can be stored up to 30 days without loss of useful qualities.
Lime leaves for treatment
Traditional medicine does not use a spicy product for therapeutic purposes. However, in folk treatment, lime leaves have been used to combat fever, infectious diseases of the larynx, colds. Fruits are used to prepare tinctures, decoctions that improve the functioning of the nervous system. Preparations from the zest and leaves of a beneficial plant are effective for insomnia, anxiety, and frequent stresses. Decoctions from a spicy product are widely used for compresses, lotions, rubbing as a painkiller for rheumatism, radiculitis, joint diseases.
Specialists of traditional medicine prescribe tinctures for internal use in case of a painful menstrual cycle, anemia, and digestive problems. Preparations based on lime leaves can be used to treat skin diseases, as a preventive measure to strengthen and improve hair and nails.