This site works better with JavaScript enabled!

[ Plant part | Family | Aroma | Chemistry | Origin | Etymology | Discussion | Bottom ]

Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon citratus [DC] Stapf)

Synonyms

botanicalAndropogon citratum (Dec)
pharmaceuticalHerba Andropogonis
Arabicحشيشة الليمون
حَشِيشَة الْلَيْمُون
Hashisha al-limun
Bengaliলেমন গ্রাস, গংধবেনা
Leman gras, Gandhabena
BretonGeot-sitroñs
BulgarianЛимонова трева, Цимбопогон
Limonova treva, Tsimbopogon
BurmeseZabalin, Sabalin
Chinese
(Cantonese)
草薑 [chóu gèung], 風茅 [fùng màauh], 檸檬草 [nìhng mùng chóu], 檸檬香茅 [nìhng mùng hēung màauh], 香巴茅 [hēung bā màauh], 香茅屬 [hēung màauh sūk]
Chou geung, Fung maauh, Nihng mung chou, Nihng mung heung maauh, Heung ba maauh, Heung maauh suk
Chinese
(Mandarin)
草薑 [cǎo jiāng], 風茅 [fēng máo], 檸檬草 [níng méng cǎo], 檸檬香茅 [níng méng xiāng máo], 香巴茅 [xiāng bā máo], 香茅屬 [xiāng máo shǔ], 柠檬香茅 [níng méng xiāng máo]
Chao jiang, Feng mao, Ning meng chao, Ning meng xiang mao, Xiang mao cao, Xiang ba mao, Xiang mao shu, Cang-mao
CroatianVlaska
CzechCitrónová tráva
DanishCitrongræs
Dhivehiކާސިންޖީ
Kaasinjee
DutchCitroengras, Sereh, Kamelhewe
Dzongkhaཧུམ་ཅུང་རྩྭ་
Hum chung tswa
EnglishLemon grass, Citronella, Squinant
EsperantoCitronelo
EstonianHarilik sidrunhein
FanteTi-ahaban
FinnishSitruunaruoho, Sitrusheinät
FrenchVerveine des Indes
Ga-DangmeTi-ba
GalicianHerba de Limón
GermanZitronengras, Citronella, Lemongras
Greek (Old)Σχοῖνος ὁ εὐώδης
Schoinos ho euodes
GreekΛεμονόχορτο, Κιτρονέλλα (Cymbopogon nardus)
Lemonochorto; Kitronella (Cymbopogon nardus)
Hebrewלימון גראס, לימונית ריחנית, עשב לימון
לִימוֹן גראָס, לִימוֹנִית רֵיחָנִית, עֵשֶׂב לִימוֹן
Essef limon, Limon gras, Limonit rehanit
Hindiसेरा, गंधत्रिण
Sera, Gandhatrina
HindiSera
HmongTawj dub
HungarianCitromfű, Citronella
IcelandicSítrónugras
IndonesianSereh, Serai
ItalianCimbopogone
Japaneseレモングラス, レモンソウ
Remon-sō, Remonso, Remon-guraso
Kannadaಮಜ್ಜಿಗೆ ಹುಲ್ಲು
Majjige hullu
Korean레몬그라스
Remon-gurasu
KhmerBai mak nao, Slek krey sabou, Kuel skey
Laoຫົວສີໄຄ, ຫົວສິງໄຄ, ສີໄຄ
Hua si khai, Hua sing khai, Si khai
LithuanianTikroji citrinžolė; Lanksčioji (Cymbopogon flexuosus)
MalaySerai, Serai dapur
Malayalamഇഞ്ചിപ്പുല്ല്‌, തെരവ പുല്ല്‌
Enchipullu, Inchi-pullu, Terava-pullu, Vasana-pullu
Manipuri (Meitei-Lon)হাওনা
ꯍꯥꯎꯅꯥ
Haona
Nepaliपिर्हे घांस, काँश
Pirhe ghans, Kansh
Oriyaଧନ୍ବନ୍ତରୀ
Dhanvantari
PolishPalczatka cytrynowa; Palczatka pogięta (Cymbopogon flexuosus)
PortugueseErva-príncipe; Capim-santo, Capim-cidrão, Erva-cidreira (Brazil)
RomanianCitronella, Ierba de Lămâie
RussianЛимонное сорго, Лимонная трава
Limonnoe sorgo, Limmonaya trava
SerbianЛимун трава
Limun trava
Sinhalaසේර, ලෙමන් ග්රාස්
Sera, Leman-gras
SlovakVôňovec, Citrónová tráva
SlovenianLimonska trava
SpanishZacate de limón, Te de limón, Caña de Limón, Citronella, Hierba de Limón, Malojillo
SwedishCitrongräs
TagalogTanglad, Salai
Tamilகர்ப்பூரப்புல், போதைப்புல்
Karppurappul, Potaippul
Teluguకామంచి కసు
Kamanchi kasu, Nimmagaddi
Thaiตะไคร้, ตะไคร้หอม, จะไคร, จะไคร้, ไคร
Takrai, Takhrai hom, Chakrai, Krai, Soet kroei
Tigrinyaሳዕሪ ለሚን
Seri lamin
TurkishLimon otu
Urduاگن گھاس
Agan ghas
VietnameseSả chanh, Xả
Sa chanh, Xa
Yiddishקעמלהײ
Kemlhey
Cymbopogon citratus: Lemon grass stalk
Lemon grass stalk
Used plant part

Stalks and leaves.

Cymbopogon citratus: Lemon grass stem base
Lemon grass stem base
Cymbopogon citratus: Lemon grass plant
Lemon grass plant

kanchanapisek.or.th       © Thai Junior Encyclopedia

Cymbopogon citratus: Stem base of lemon grass
Base of the stem of lemon grass
Plant family

Poaceae (grass family).

Sensory quality

Fresh and lemon-like, with a hint of rose fragrance. See also lemon myrtle on lemon fragrance.

Main con­stituents

The essential oil of lemon grass (0.2 to 0.5%, West Indian lemon grass oil) consists mainly of citral. Further terpenoids in lemon grass oil are nerol, limonene, linalool and β-caryo­phyllene. The content of myrcene is low, but still enough to make the oil sus­cept­ible to oxida­tive poly­meri­za­tion.

Citral is a mixture of two stereo­isomeric mono­terpene alde­hydes; in lemon grass oil, the trans isomer geranial (40 to 62%) domi­nates over the cis isomer neral (25 to 38%).

East Indian lemon grass oil is distilled from a related species, C. flexuosus. It consists of alcohols (20 to 30% citronellol, geraniol) and aldehydes (15% geranial, 10% neral, 5% citronellal). This species is domi­nantly used in the perfume industry as it contains less myrcene and, there­fore, has a longer shelf life.

Two further species have con­sider­able rele­vance for the perfume industry: The so-called palma­rosa oil is di­stilled from Cymbo­pogon martini (Roxb.) J.F. Wat­son var. martini (native to India, culti­vated also in Jawa) and contains mainly geraniol (75%) and geranyl acetate (12%). Also worth mentioning is citronella grass (Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt) which also stems from India, but is today grown throughout the tropics; its main constituents are citronellal (35%), geraniol (25%) and citronellol (10%) plus minor amounts of geranyl acetate (5%).

Origin

The genus has about 55 species, most of which are native to South Asia, South­east Asia and Austra­lia. The so-called East-Indian lemon grass (Cymbo­pogon flexuosus [Nees ex Steudel] J.F. Watson) is native to India, Sri Lanka, Burma and Thai­land; for the related West-Indian lemon grass (C. citratus [DC] Stapf), a Malesian origin is generally as­sumed. You might note that the epi­theta East and West are here applied quite randomly. Both species are today cultivated through­out tropical Asia.

Although the two species can almost be used inter­change­ably, C. citratus is more rele­vant for cooking. In India, it is culti­vated as a medical herb and for per­fumes, but not used as a spice; in the rest of tropical Asia (mostly South East Asia, more mar­ginally in Sri Lanka), it is an impor­tant culi­nary herb and spice.

Cymbopogon citratus: Lemon grass stem
Lemon gras stems
Cymbopogon flexuosus: Lemon grass plant
Lemon grass plant
Etymology

The botanical genus name Cymbo­pogon is derived from Greek kymbe [κύμβη] boat and pogon [πώγων] beard; it refers to the boat-shaped spathes and the many-eared inflores­cences which re­mind to a beard.

The species name citratus obviously relates to the pro­minent lemon fra­grance of that plant. Similarly, most Euro­pean names of lemon grass are either adapted from local names of lemon (citro­nella) or are com­pounds meaning lemon herb (Finnish sitruuna­ruoho, Portuguese erva-cidreira, Turkish limon otu, Chinese ning meng xiang mao [檸檬香茅] lemon-flavoured plant) or particularly often lemon-grass (Danish citrongræs, Lithuanian citrinžolė, Czech citrónová tráva, Estonian sidrunhein, Hungarian citromfű). Similar compounds are Russian limonnoe sorgo [лимонное сорго] lemon-sorghum and Spanish te de limón lemon tea. The various names of lemon are further explained under lemon and lime.

Arabic hashisha al-limun [حشيشة الليمون] contains hashish [حشيش] grass, which is known as a euphemistic term for cannabis in the West. The arabic name for water pipe, shisha [شيشة], may be related, although others derive it from Farsi shisheh [شیشه] glass in reference to the material the pipe is made from. The latter would be analogous to Persian nargileh (see coconut for its derivation).

Cymbopogon citratus: Citronella grass plant
Lemon grass plant
Cymbopogon citratus: Leaves of lemon grass
Leaves of lemon grass

The English word grass and its Latin cognate gramen (from older grasmen) (grass)-blade, stalk can­not be ex­plained easily. It is probably con­nected to an Proto-Indo–European­pean root re­fer­ring to plant growth (GʰREH₂ or GʰRĒ project out, sprout, grow, with grow and green as close English kin); in German, the basic meaning is pre­served in Grat ridge, crest and Gräte fish bone. On the other hand, given the impor­tance of grass as an animal fodder, it is hardly co­inci­den­tal that a similar Proto-Indo–European­pean root, GRAS, means devour, digest (see cress for more infor­mation on this root).

The medi­eval English name squinant is a cor­ruption of earlier schoenanth and derives from two Greek words, schoinos [σχοῖνος] rush, grass (see also chives) and anthos [ἄνθος] flower. Another name of that period is Dutch kamelhewe and Yiddish kemlhey [קעמלהײ] camel’s hay which refers to the caravans that transported dried lemongrass on the back of camels from tropical Asia to Europe (spice route). Lemon grass was used for beer brewing (see gale) and preparation of spiced wines.

It is an open question whether lemon grass was already known in antiquity, as many aromatics of ancient texts have not yet been identified. A possible candidate is the Biblical qaneh [קָנֶה] which appears to denote a kind of grassy plant or reed; if often occurs in the meaning branch. Yet on some occasions, it is listed among aromatics (e. g., in the Song of Songs) and there are not so many grass-shaped aromatic plants to chose from. Conservative wisdom has it translated calamus, but lemon grass would also appear a possibility.

Selected Links

The Epicentre: Lemon Grass chemikalienlexikon.de: Citral chemikalienlexikon.de: Geranylacetat Floridata.com: Lemon Grass Herbs by Linda Gilbert: Lemon Grass Recipe: Tinuransa (Indonesian Pork Stew) (recipes.wuzzle.org) Recipe: Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Skewers [Thịt bò nướng sả] (www.vietworldkitchen.com) Recipe: Vietnamese Spicy Beef Fondue [Bò nhúng dấm] (www.food-lists.com) Recipe: Spicy Grilled Lemongrass Ribs [Sườn Nướng Xả Ớt] (pwmf.blogspot.com)


Cymbopogon citratus: Lemon grass
Lemon grass
The fresh taste of lemon grass is typical for Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka. The spice is most popular in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and on the Indonesian islands. In Thailand, finely ground fresh lemon grass is added to curry pastes (see coconut). Its fine fragrance goes well with poultry, fish and sea food.

Vietnamese cookery, being much less spiced, makes use of lemon grass in several ways. A popular Vietnamese meal is bo nhung dam [bò nhúng dấm], often translated vinegar beef or Vietnamese fondue. At the table, each diner boils thin slices of beef in a vinegar-flavoured broth containing ample lemon grass. The beef is then, together with fresh vegetables and herbs (coriander, mint and Vietnamese coriander), wrapped in rice paper and eaten with spicy sauces based on fish sauce (nuoc mam [nước mắm]), lime juice, peanuts and chiles. This recipe demonstrates the Vietnamese preference for communal foods (prepared together at the table), for wrapped bits of food and for fresh herbs. Lemon grass is also used for Vietnamese curries, see rice paddy herb.

Cymbopogon citratus: Lemon grass bush
Lemon grass
Cymbopogon citratus: Lemongrass plant
Bush of lemon grass

In Indonesia, the term bumbu (spelled boemboe in Dutch) refers to mixtures of ground fresh spices, whose com­position is unique for every single dish. In Bali, they are called jangkap (see Indo­nesian bay-leaf for details). Bumbu is made by grinding spices together in a mortar: Onions provide the background, and garlic, chiles and nuts (most popular is the Indonesian kemiri, also known as candle nut) are rarely missing. Further common ingredients are greater and lesser galangale, turmeric, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, Indonesian bay-leaves and lemon grass. Dried spices are of minor importance, although coriander and black pepper are occasionally mentioned, and some recipes even employ nutmeg or cloves. On Jawa and Bali, toasted or fried trassi (shrimp paste) is never omitted. Bumbu is used either raw or having been stir-fried for a few minutes.

Often, veg­etables are simply cooked in a little water, stock or coco­nut milk to­gether with bumbu; meat, on the other hand, is more fre­quently rub­bed with bumbu and fried or broiled (e. g., sate, the famous skewers; see lesser galan­gale for an­other ex­ample). Gravies can be intensi­fied by adding one or two table­spoons of bumbu before serving. Bumbu dissolved in meat broth makes the basis for most Indonesian soups (e. g., the ubiquitous chicken soup soto ayam) and also for Malaysian laksa (see Vietnamese coriander). Lastly, fried bumbu can be used as a condiment.

Further information on the cuisines of Indonesia can be found at Indonesian bay-leaf and lesser galangale (Bali), greater galangale and Sichuan pepper (Sumatra), coconut (Sulawesi), tamarind (Jawa) and mango about the pan-Indonesian fruit salad rujak.

The pleasant aroma of lemon grass is never dominating; it can be substituted by lemon balm (though it is, of course, not the same), but not by lime fruits, kaffir lime leaves or lemon myrtle, which are much more dominant.



Unicode Encoded Validate using the WDG validator Validate using the VALIDOME validator

Top   Plant part   Family   Aroma   Chemistry   Origin   Etymology   Discussion   Bottom