Lime

Limes

Kaffir limes and their "double" leaves

About Limes

In cooking, lime is valued both for the acidity of its juice and the floral aroma of its zest. It is used in Key lime pie, a traditional Florida dessert, and is a very common ingredient in authentic Mexican, Southwestern American and Thai dishes. It is also used for its pickling properties in ceviche. The use of dried limes as a flavoring is typical of Persian cuisine.

Kaffir lime

The kaffir lime', also known as kieffer lime and limau purut is a type of lime native to Indonesia and Malaysia, commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, and widely grown worldwide as a backyard shrub.

The kaffir lime is a rough, bumpy green fruit that grows on very thorny bush with aromatic and distinctively shaped "double" leaves. It is well suited to container growing. The green lime fruit is distinguished by its bumpy exterior and its small size (approx. 4 cm wide).

Lime zest

The grated rind of the lime, called lime zest, is used to add flavor to baked goods, puddings, rice and other dishes.

Alternatives

Other citrus fruits could be used in place of limes; lemons, grapefruit and oranges. In some instances, a white wine vinegar could be used instead. A bottle of lemon juice in the fridge is a good standby.

How much does one cup of lime flesh weigh?

Estimated US cup to weight equivalents:

Conversion notes:
Every ingredient has a cups to ounces or grams conversion table. Search for the ingredient, cup to weight conversions are at the end of each ingredient page.

We also have a generic conversion table and a portions per person lookup.