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Lemon Grass

Cymbopogon citratus

Appears in
Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables

By Elizabeth Schneider

Published 1986

  • About

Also Takrai, Sereh

My vote for the next great seasoning power after ginger and cilantro is this remarkably potent, yet soft-spoken newcomer to American kitchens. Like the aforementioned two, lemon grass can be used raw or cooked, as background coloring or for brilliant foreground dazzle, and as an intensifier or disperser of flavors. And it is versatile enough to be a part of every phase of a meal, from soup through after-dinner tea.
Its membership in the grass family, Graminae, is immediately apparent when you see the long (about 2 feet) gray-green stalks, which are as stiff as beach grass. Inside the fibrous stem layers (the very long leaves are cut off before the lemon grass gets to market) is a paler tubular core that resembles a firm scallion bulb. This more tender part is slivered into dishes, adding its inimitable lemony pungency. The straw-like upper stalks can lend their flavor to liquids or be used for steaming, but are too harsh-textured to be eaten.

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