What's a makrut lime? A closer look at one of Thailand's top ingredients

Our new Wellness tours offer the perfect balance of awe-inspiring destinations, rejuvenating activities, and healthy food experiences, helping you return home feeling even better than when you left. Each of our Wellness tours covers three important pillars: Mindfulness, Movement, and Nourishment. In this new blog series, we want to shed a little more light on exactly what this will look like once you embark on your tour. Here, a look at the nourishment Thailand’s makrut limes.

Wherever you might add a bay leaf in Western cooking, you might find a makrut lime leaf in Thai cooking. The green leaves — more commonly than the fruit itself — of the makrut lime tree are added to soups, curries, and stews, or steamed with rice, lending a bright, deep citrusy flavour that’s without parallel.

You might better know them as kaffir limes; however, the word “kaffir” is a South African ethnic slur used to refer to Africans people, and so the transition to makrut lime is encouraged.

The limes themselves, like other limes and citrus fruits, are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. Makrut limes, in particular, have antibacterial properties that can help improve skin quality, and may even be able to fend off e.coli (just don’t depend on a lime or two to cure you if you’ve fallen ill).

The oil from makrut limes is often used in soaps and shampoos, where its antibacterial and antioxidant properties may prove beneficial. It’s also effective as a natural insect repellant, since it contains citronelloil.

And above all else, it’s delicious — be sure to try it whenever it’s offered!

Getting there

Check out our Wellness Thailand tour here.