Curry Tree

Curry Tree

If you are looking for the authentic curry tree like those used in Indian and Thai cooking, this is the real thing. (If you've bought the "curry plant" (Helichrysum italicum) and were disappointed, you're not alone. That plant, which looks a tiny bit like lavender, isn't really edible. It does have a curry fragrance, but a bitter flavor and other than being a novelty, is useless in the kitchen.

Curry seasoning, which the "curry plant" smells vaguely like, is an invention of the British when they occupied India. They were attempting to imitate the curry flavor found at streetside food vendors. Real curry is made from the leaves of the curry tree (Murraya koenigii). When I was in India I observed how this plant is used. The leaves are pungent and strong, but when 1 or 2 leaves are dropped into hot oil, the flavors are released. Then onions and garlic are added to the oil and browned, then additional ingredients are added, blending together and making the curry.

If you have been looking for the real curry tree, visit my website and click the link, "Looking for Plants?" which will give you some sources. The plant is easy to grow indoors and I keep mine outside in a partially shaded area during the summer. This one on the right is about 20 years old or more and is flowering this summer.