Everything about Curry Leaves totally explained
» For the "Curry Plant", see Helichrysum italicum. For the dish or sauce, see Curry.
The
Curry Tree or
Curry-leaf Tree (
Murraya koenigii;
syn. Bergera koenigii, Chalcas koenigii) is a
tropical to
sub-tropical tree in the family
Rutaceae, which is native to
India.
Description
It is a small tree, growing 4-6 m tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm diameter. The
leaves are pinnate, with 11-21 leaflets, each leaflet 2-4 cm long and 1-2 cm broad. 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 Gerhard Koenig.
Uses
Its leaves are highly aromatic and are used as a
herb. Their form is small and narrow and they somewhat resemble the leaves of the
Neem tree; therefore they're also referred to as
Kari Baavu (translated to
Black Neem) in the
Kannada language and
Karivepaku in
Telugu, again translating to the same meaning. In
Tamil and
Malayalam it's known as
Karuveppilai,
ilai meaning leaves and
veppilai meaning
Neem leaf. Other names include
Kari Patta (
Hindi),
Bhursunga Patra (
Oriya),
Kadhi Limb (
Marathi), Limda(Gujarati) and
Karapincha (
Sinhalese).
They are commonly used as seasoning in Indian and
Sri Lankan cooking, much like
bay leaves and especially in curries with fish or coconut milk. In their fresh form, they've a short shelf life though they may be stored in a freezer for quite some time. They are also available dried, though the aroma is inferior.
Various biological activities of
Murraya koenigii include antidiabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-hypercholesterolemic etc.,
Further Information
Get more info on 'Curry Leaves'.
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