Paprika

Curry Tree

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For the "Curry Plant", see Helichrysum italicum or Sweet Neem leaf

For the dish or sauce, see Curry.

The small flowers are white and fragrant. Ripe & Unripe fruits. Jayanti in Buxa Tiger Reserve in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India.

The Curry Tree (Murraya koenigii; syn. Bergera koenigii, Chalcas koenigii) (Tamil: கறிவேப்பிலை karivepallai, Malayalam: കറിവേപ്പില kariveppila, Kannada: ಕರಿಬೇವಿನ ಸೊಪ್ಪು karibevina soppu, Telugu: కరివేపాకు karivepaku , kadipatta, Bengali: কারিগাছ Kari Gaas) is a tropical to sub-tropical tree in the family Rutaceae, which is native to India. It produces the leaves known as Curry leaves or Sweet Neem leaves. Karivepillai in Tamil means black neem as the appearance of the leaves look similar to the neem leaves.

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. They are highly aromatic. 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 König.

Names

The small and narrow leaves somewhat resemble the leaves of the Neem tree; therefore they are also referred to as Kadhi Patta (Hindi), Mithho Limdo (Gujarati) Kadhielimba (Marathi), (Patta meaning leaf and Kadhi being a popular dish that consists of a thin soup or stew made from yogurt, among dishes this leaf is used to spice) Karivepaku in Telugu (aaku means leaf), Karuveppilai (translated to Black Neem leaf) in Tamil and Malayalam, Karu/Kari meaning black, ilai meaning leaves and veppilai meaning Neem leaf. In the Kannada language it is known as Kari Bevu. Other names include Karivepaku Karuveppilai, noroxingha (Assamese), Bhursunga Patra (Oriya), and Karapincha (Sinhalese).

Uses

The leaves are highly valued as seasoning in South Indian and Sri Lankan cooking, much like bay leaves and especially in curries with fish or coconut milk. They are also used as an ingredient in the popular Pakistani dish karhi. In their fresh form, they have a short shelf life though they may be stored in a freezer for quite some time; however, this can result in a loss of their flavour. They are also available dried, though the aroma is much inferior.

The leaves of Murraya koenigii are also used as a herb in Ayurvedic medicine. Their properties include much value as an antidiabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-hypercholesterolemic etc. Curry leaves are also known to be good for hair, for keeping them healthy and long.

Although most commonly used in curries, leaves from the Curry Tree can be used in many other dishes to add spice.

Propagation

Seeds must be planted fresh; dried or shriveled fruits are not viable. Plant either the whole fruit (or remove the pulp) in potting mix and keep moist but not wet.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Murraya koenigii

• Gernot Katzer's Herb Pages on curry leaves
• Plant Cultures: botany, history and uses of curry leaf plant