Kaffir lime
The kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix), sometimes referred to in English as the makrut lime or Mauritius papeda, is a citrus fruit native to tropical Asia, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Its fruit and leaves are used in Southeast Asian cuisine and its essential oil is used in perfumery.
Common names
In English it is known as kaffir lime (also transliterated "kieffer lime") or makrut lime (magrood lime); in some locations it is known as combava. In French combava is also used, as is citron combera and citron ridé. The countries where it is grown encompass several languages:
Burmese: tau shauk hka တောရှောက်ခါး pronounced: [tɔ̀.ʃaʊʔ.kʰá];
Indonesian/Malay jeruk obat, jeruk purut, limau purut;
Khmer krô:ch saë:ch;Laotian mak khi hut (ໝາກຂີ້ຫູດ; pronounced [ma᷆ːk.kʰi᷆ː.hu᷆ːt]);
Thai: makrut (มะกรูด; pronounced [ma.krùːt])
In South Indian cuisine it is used widely and is known as narthangai.
The Oxford Companion to Food recommends that the term "makrut lime" be favored over "kaffir lime" because Kaffir is an offensive term in some cultures and has no contemporary justification for being attached to this plant. The etymology of the name "kaffir lime" is uncertain, but most likely was used by Muslims as a reference to the location the plant grew, which was populated by non-Muslims. The Arabic word for non-Muslims is Kafir.
