Makrut Limes

Makrut lime leaves—kroy saoch in Khmer—provide a unique flavor to Southeast Asian cuisine. The fruit has been called kaffir limes for decades, but the term kaffir is an Arabic word meaning infidel or unbeliever, and it is used in South Africa the same way that the “n” word is used against Black people in the United States. There has been a movement—#KaffirNo More—to ban its use, especially now that the bumpy green fruit—Citrus hystrix—is becoming a favored ingredient of brewers, chefs, and bartenders. Hangar1, the distillery in California, even makes a Makrut Lime Vodka.