Makrut lime

Combava

What it is

Western sailors wrote the Indonesian island of Sumbawa as Combava on their charts, and in French the fruit that came from that quarter kept the name. Only the rind is worth buying: the juice is scant, bitter and resinous, and is generally thrown away.

In the kitchen

Grate the zest on the finest rasp and add it off the heat at the very end — one fruit perfumes a rougail for six, and cooking drives the volatile oils straight off. Freeze the fruit whole and grate from frozen: the zest lifts cleanly and the bitter pith stays behind.

Goes with

Coconut milk Ginger Garlic Chili pepper Lemongrass Turmeric Pork Fish sauce

Same species

Bergamot Candied citron Chenpi Citron Menton lemon Dried lime

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