Glossary of food terms: L

Lime leaves

Sometimes called kaffir lime leaves, these are the leaves of a wild lime tree which have an unusual figure-of-eight shape - double leaves joined tip to end. They have a spicy, lemon flavour and give a distinctive citrus scent to soups and curries in Thai and Indonesian cooking.

Fresh lime leaves are used in Asian cooking in a similar way that bay leaves are used in Western cooking - pretty much thrown into all kinds of dishes, sometimes finely sliced. Fresh lime leaves cannot be imported from countries outside the EU but a number of nurseries in the UK now supply fresh kaffir lime leaves. Dried lime leaves may be more easily sourced, but they lack the punchy flavour of fresh lime leaves. If you can't find them, substitute a bit of fresh lemongrass.

• Tom yum soup with lime and white fish
• Lemongrass risotto with lime leaf tapenade
• Salad of red mullet with lime and ginger