The species name commemorates the botanist Johann König. The Murray commemorates Swedish physician and botanist Johann Andreas Murray who died in 1791. Hence the botanical name of the curry leaves is Murraya koenigii.
Curry leaves are a popular leaf-spice used in very small quantities for their distinct aroma due to the presence of volatile oil and their ability to improve digestion.
The curry leaves are a rich source of many carbazole alkaloids with a diverse chemical composition. Solvents like ethyl acetate, ethanol, petroleum ether, water and chloroform have been used by researchers to prepare the plant extracts, and compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids carbohydrates, and sterol have been reported to be present in them.
Curry leaves are aromatic in nature. The leaves are shiny and smooth with paler undersides. Leaves are pinnate, exstipulate, having reticulate venation and having ovate lanceolate with an oblique base, with 11-21 leaflets, in which each leaflet is 0.79 - 1.57 inch long and 0.39 - 0.79 inch broad.
Curry leaf is an important leafy vegetable. The leaves have a slightly pungent, bitter and acidic taste, and they retain their flavor and other qualities even after drying. They are hence used in various types of curries.
It mainly used in cooking to provide flavoring in cuisine including fish or meat curries, vegetables, fried rice, soup, pickles, egg omelet, scrambled egg, and curry powder as well. Besides, it used as the cuisine; curry leaves have used for centuries for biological activities in human health.
In the eastern Asian community, curry leaves traditionally used in diet to improve appetite and digestion.
Curry leaves - aromatic fresh herbs used in cooking
