ID these edible leaves

February 26, 2018 12:18 AM

I bought these leaves a Chinese supermarket. What are they? Thanks!
posted by threetwentytwo to Food & Drink (20 answers total)

They look like fresh bay leaves.
posted by oh pollo! at 12:27 AM on February 26, 2018

They look like lime leaves to me. Try sniffing them.
posted by Too-Ticky at 12:46 AM on February 26, 2018

They could be Thai lime leaves, though the one on top doesn't have the two-lobed structure. It would really help to get an opinion from someone who can read the writing on the package.
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 12:47 AM on February 26, 2018

永興隆 is just the name of the supermarket.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 1:04 AM on February 26, 2018

Response by poster: I don't think they smell like lime leaves, but they have been in the fridge since yesterday.
posted by threetwentytwo at 2:04 AM on February 26, 2018

If they're lime leaves, they'll have a pretty distinctive smell even after being frozen for 18 months. I'd go with some sort of bay leaves.

Next time, ask what they are before you buy them!
posted by pipeski at 3:05 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

Did you taste them? What was the flavor like? Are they tough, or tender? (Bay leaves are inedibly tough.) If it is tender and spinachy, my guess is amaranth leaves.
posted by musicinmybrain at 4:52 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

If you could post a pic with an individual leaf out of the package, that would help. Their shape almost looks like a ginkgo.
posted by bullatony at 4:53 AM on February 26, 2018

Except the top one, which does have a lime/bay shape
posted by bullatony at 4:55 AM on February 26, 2018

Definitely not ginkgo- ginkgo leaves are fan shaped, with all the veins converging at the stem. Your leaves have the veins meeting the central vein in an alternating pattern.

I don't think they're bay either- bay usually has an elongated shape with a very smooth edge and yours are wider and slightly serrated.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 5:16 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]

Hard to tell in the packaging, but they may be curry leaves if they're stiff and shiny..
posted by newpotato at 6:13 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

Crush one and sniff and you'll know whether it's bay, lime, or something else.
posted by bullatony at 6:13 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

I think they are too big to be kefir lime leaves or bay leaves.

Please post a pick of an individual leaf with a penny or something similar for scale. Right now they look like some kind of leaf you might use to line a steamer, but not something to eat? I dunno. Hard to tell. Please post a new pic!
posted by jbenben at 7:09 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

They look like curry leaves.
posted by thesockpuppet at 7:39 AM on February 26, 2018

Response by poster: Two of the leaves with a pound coin and a crayon for comparison purposes.

I've crushed and sniffed one and I'm p. sure they aren't lime leaves.

[I initially picked them up wondering whether they were lime leaves, meant to ask in the shop but got distracted!]
posted by threetwentytwo at 7:57 AM on February 26, 2018

They look like Thai lime leaves to me. If so, they'd be yummy in some tom kha soup. Bay and curry are more elongated, and bay are very tough.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 9:56 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

I still think it's a strong contender for curry leaves. Take a bite of one, it'll be reminiscent of curry if it is...if it's not, whatever it tastes like would give you a clue at least.
posted by newpotato at 11:21 AM on February 26, 2018

Sure does look like OneSmartMonkey might have it, based on appearance. Not sure why they lack limey aroma.

This is a good place place to point out that “kaffir lime” is a common but disfavored term. While the etymology of the name for the fruit is a little murky, “kaffir” is today a severe racial slur in South Africa, akin to the “n-word” in the USA. Most people who are aware of this seem to be favoring the Thai name, “makrut lime.”
posted by musicinmybrain at 3:03 PM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]

Sooooo...what were they?
posted by newpotato at 3:22 AM on March 2, 2018

Response by poster: Welllll, they aren't lime leaves. Definitely. I'm wondering if they are betel leaves.
posted by threetwentytwo at 11:43 AM on March 4, 2018