Cuisine[edit]
The leaves are the most frequently used part of the plant, fresh, dried, or frozen. The leaves are widely used in Thai[11] and Lao cuisine (for dishes such as tom yum), and Cambodian cuisine (for the base paste "krueng"). Kaffir/Makrut lime leaves are used in Vietnamese cuisine to add fragrance to chicken dishes and to decrease the pungent odor when steaming snails. The leaves are used in Indonesian cuisine (especially Balinese cuisine and Javanese cuisine), for foods such as soto ayam, and are used along with Indonesian bay leaf for chicken and fish. They are also found in Malaysian and Burmese cuisines.[12] In South Indian cuisine it is used widely.
The rind (peel) is commonly used in Lao and Thai curry paste, adding an aromatic, astringent flavor.[11] The zest of the fruit is used in creole cuisine to impart flavor in "arranged" (infused) rums in Martinique, Réunion and Madagascar. In Cambodia, the entire fruit is crystallized/candied for eating.[13]
Medicinal[edit]
The juice and rinds are used in traditional medicine in some Asian countries; the fruit's juice is often used in shampoo and is believed to kill head lice.[10]
Other uses[edit]
The juice finds use as a cleanser for clothing and hair in Thailand and very occasionally in Cambodia. Lustral water mixed with slices of the fruit is used in religious ceremonies in Cambodia.