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Curry Leaves

Curry Leaves are leaves from a tree unsurprisingly called the curry tree.

They are commonly used as seasoning in Indian and Sri Lankan cooking, much like bay leaves and especially in curries with fish or coconut milk. In their fresh form, they have a short shelf life though they may be stored in a freezer for quite some time. They are also available dried, though the aroma is inferior.

Although dried curry leaves have almost no flavour to them, fresh leaves, when bruised, are extremely aromatic. The leaves give off an intense spicy aroma with a citrus note and have a warm, pleasant and lemony taste that is faintly bitter.

The tree is native to the sub-tropical forests of Asia.

The use of the curry leaf tree to treat diabetes has attracted a great deal of interest. Special compounds have been found in the leaf which might make it an effective new medicine for diabetes sufferers. Diabetes sufferers, watch this space!