Everything about Lemongrass totally explained
Cymbopogon is a genus of about 55 species of
grasses, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the
Old World and
Oceania. It is a tall
perennial grass. Common names include
lemon grass,
lemongrass,
barbed wire grass,
silky heads,
citronella grass,
fever grass or
Hierba Luisa amongst many others.
Cultivation and uses
Lemon grass is widely used as an
herb in Asian (particularly
Vietnamese, Hmong,
Khmer,
Thai,
Lao,
Malaysian,
Indonesian,
Philippine,
Sri Lankan) and
Caribbean cooking. It has a
citrus flavour and can be dried and powdered, or used fresh. The stalk itself is too hard to be eaten except for the soft inner part. However, it can be finely sliced and added to recipes. It may also be bruised and added whole as this releases the aromatic oils from the juice sacs in the stalk. The main constituent of lemongrass oil is
citral, which makes up around 80% of the total.
Lemon grass is commonly used in
teas,
soups, and
curries. It is also suitable for poultry, fish, and seafood. It is often used as a tea in African and Latino-American countries (for example
Togo,
Mexico,
DR Congo).
East-Indian Lemon Grass (
Cymbopogon flexuosus), also called Cochin Grass or Malabar Grass, is native to
Cambodia,
India,
Sri Lanka,
Burma,and
Thailand while the
West-Indian lemon grass (
Cymbopogon citratus), also known as
serai in Malay, is assumed to have its origins in
Malaysia. While both can be used interchangeably,
C. citratus is more suited for cooking. In
India C. citratus is used both as a medical herb and in perfumes.
Research also shows that lemon grass oil has antifungal properties.
Citronella Grass (
Cymbopogon nardus and
Cymbopogon winterianus) is similar to the species above but grows to 2 m and has red base stems. These species are used for the production of
citronella oil, which is used in soaps, as a mosquito repellent in insect sprays and candles, and also in aromatherapy, which is famous in Bintan, Indonesia. The principal chemical constituents of citronella,
geraniol and
citronellol, are antiseptics, hence their use in household disinfectants and soaps. Besides oil production, citronella grass is also used for culinary purposes, in tea and as a flavoring.
Palmarosa (
Cymbopogon martinii), also called Rosha Grass and Indian Geranium, is another species used in the perfume industry. It is a
perennial clumping grass which grows to 150 cm with finer leaves and has a smaller bulbous base than the species above. The leaves and flower tops contain a sweet smelling oil which is used for the production of
geraniol. It is also distilled into palmarosa oil and used in aromatherapy for its calming effect to help relieve nervous tension and stress.
Lemongrass in some cases has been used as a mild depressant for the central nervous system. It is also sometimes used as a
weed barrier.
One particular alpine grassland variant known as
juzai is a staple of
Kyrgyz,
Dungan and
Uyghur cooking.
Partial species list
Further Information
Get more info on 'Lemongrass'.
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