CURRY LEAF
Curry leaves are indispensable part of Indian cuisine. This is widely used in southern and western coast of India. It is also used in other parts of Asia too. In Combodia and Indonesia it is dried and used as flavour for food items. Curry leaf plant is a native of Indian subcontinent. It is commercially planted in India. Of late Australia has started large cultivation of this plant. While it is a household plant in Kerala, large plantations can be found in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and other parts of India. During the 1980s there were number of large plantations in Guntur region of AP. Many women reach these plantations early in the morning from nearby villages. They pluck the leaves and fill the bags tied on their backs. Many trucks were found parked on the side roads to carry the leaves to Chennai market.
Murraya koenigii is the botanical name of curry leaf plant. It belong to the Rutaceae family. Other members of the family are, Rue, Citrus and Satinwood. The generic name is derived from Johann Andreas Murray (1740-1791). In Ayurvedic and Sidha medicines it is used as a herb as it possesses anti-disease properties. The seeds may be toxic to humans. The leaves are rich in Carotenoids, beta-carotene, calcium and iron.
(Indebted to Wikipedia for data for images to different web sources.)
K V George
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