Lemongrass
Estimated Inventory, lb : 122.43
This item was last sold on : 01/10/25
Description/Taste
Lemongrass is comprised of tall stalks and leaves that grow in bushy clusters. The leaves extend in all directions in a dropping nature and have a narrow, coarse blade, averaging 1 to 2 centimeters in diameter, with a lanceolate shape. Each stalk is elongated, slender, straight, and cylindrical with a small, bulbous base similar to the bottom of a green onion. The stalks have tough, somewhat woody outer layers that are green, lightening to a pale green, yellow-white at the base with faint marron edging. As the tightly wrapped outer layers are removed, the central portion of the stalk is revealed, bearing a white to pale yellow hue. Young Lemongrass will release a sweet, somewhat tropical citrus aroma, and the stalk will have a tender and crisp consistency. Mature Lemongrass will have a brighter, lemon-like scent and develops a more fibrous, chewy, and sometimes stringy texture. Lemongrass is known for its edible central stalk and imparts a tangy, citrus, and floral flavor with ginger, lemon, and minty nuances.
Seasons/Availability
Lemongrass is available year-round.
Current Facts
Lemongrass, botanically classified as Cymbopogon citratus, is an aromatic grass belonging to the Poaceae family. The perennial plant thrives in warm, tropical to subtropical climates and grows upright, reaching anywhere from 1 to 1.5 meters in height. Lemongrass is native to Southeast Asia, and there are two main species: West-Indian Lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus, and East-Indian Lemongrass, or Cymbopogon flexuosus. West-Indian Lemongrass is the type most used for culinary preparations, sometimes written as Lemon Grass, while East-Indian Lemongrass is used for its essential oils to scent perfumes, soaps, and lotions. Lemongrass is favored for its tangy, light, and bright citrus-like scent and taste, but its lack of bitterness makes it distinct from other citrus flavors. This allows chefs to add complexity to dishes and mask pungent odors to balance flavors in recipes. Lemongrass is a traditional element in Indian, Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese, and Cambodian cuisines. The easy-to-grow plant is commercially cultivated, offering the stalks in fresh, dried, or powdered form, and can also be found worldwide as an ornamental home garden plant.
Nutritional Value
Lemongrass is a minor source of potassium to balance fluid levels within the body, calcium to build strong bones and teeth, vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, and vitamin A to maintain healthy organ functioning. The stalks also provide low amounts of manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, zinc, and phosphorus and contain antioxidants to protect the cells against the damage caused by free radicals. In addition to vitamins and minerals, Lemongrass is incorporated into natural medicines to flush the body of toxins and excess water, relieve headaches, and relax the mind. Lemongrass is commonly seen in Ayurvedic treatments and is viewed as a cooling herb, consumed in drinks, inhaled as aromatherapy, or extracted for its oil and mixed with lotions and creams for topical applications.
Applications
Lemongrass has a bright, citrusy flavor and aroma well suited as a flavoring for raw and cooked preparations. When using raw, Lemongrass needs to be finely chopped or minced to remove any fibrous stringiness in the stalks. The lower bulb of the stalk should be removed, and the tough outer leaves should be peeled away to reveal the central heart of the stalk. The pale-yellow to white center can be minced and tossed into salads, blended into pastes, or infused into dressings, marinades, and sauces. In Thailand, Lemongrass is popularly used in yum takrai, a fresh salad of ground pork and shrimp, herbs, spices, and toasted cashews. The central stalks are thinly sliced and tossed with mint, cilantro, shallots, chile peppers, and lime juice to create a bright, sweet, spicy, and sour flavor combination and are mixed in with the other ingredients in the salad. Lemongrass is also favored for its ability to flavor soups, stews, and curries. In longer-cooked preparations, the stalks can be kept in larger pieces as they are used for flavor and removed at the end of the cooking process. The stalks can be pounded or bruised and tossed into broth to release aromatic essential oils. Lemongrass masks musky, fishy, or sometimes pungent odors and is famously incorporated into laksa in Singapore, curries in India, or tom yum soup and tom kha gai in Thailand. The stalks can be cooked into noodle and rice dishes, infused into sauces for grilled skewers, sauteed into stir-fries, or combined with other herbs in roasted meat dishes. The distinctive herbal citrus flavor and aroma of Lemongrass also lends itself well to dessert preparations, from cookies, and cakes, to pudding and frozen sweets such as ice cream. Beyond culinary dishes, Lemongrass is a typical flavoring in herbal teas, often paired with ginger as a refreshing iced beverage. The stalks can also be used to flavor cocktails and infused into spirits with other ingredients such as Thai limes, basil, or cucumber. Lemongrass pairs well with coconut milk, herbs such as basil, cilantro, and chives, aromatics including garlic, shallots, ginger, and galangal, meats such as beef, pork, and poultry, and seafood including shrimp, white fish, clams, and snails. Whole, unwashed Lemongrass will keep up to two weeks when tightly wrapped and stored in the refrigerator. The stalks can also be frozen for extended use or cut into small pieces and dried.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Lemongrass is known for its ability to mask strong smells and has been not only utilized for centuries in culinary dishes but also as a fragrance to mask body odor. In Southeast Asia, Lemongrass was historically added to bathwater, and oils from the plants were combed through the hair, mixed into lotions, and incorporated into deodorants. The use of the essential oil mainly remained unknown outside of Asia until the 17th century, when the oils were distilled and sold to mostly nobility in Europe. Lemongrass was a scent of the upper class, as it was expensive to acquire, and the distinct smell effectively masked body odor, making it a recognizable status symbol. In the 20th century, Lemongrass oil became popular worldwide and is still one of the most used essential oils today.
Geography/History
Lemongrass is native to tropical regions of Southeast Asia and has been growing wild since ancient times. Historically, the plants have been foraged for their aromatic stalks and essential oils, utilized in culinary and medicinal practices. Over time, Lemongrass was spread into the rest of Asia, Africa, and Australia, where it has since been naturalized and widely planted in home gardens. After World War I, Lemongrass was also introduced to Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the United States. In some regions of Mexico and Central America, the plant has been labeled as an invasive species. Today Lemongrass is found worldwide, purposely planted in tropical to subtropical regions as a medicinal and culinary species. The plants are commercially cultivated, especially in India, and are also grown in home gardens for personal use. Lemongrass can be found at fresh local markets, specialty retailers, and select grocery stores.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
| Duke's La Jolla | La Jolla CA | 858-454-1999 |
| Kingfisher | San Diego CA | 619-861-8074 |
| Saiko Sushi-Coronado | Coronado CA | 619-435-0868 |
| Bali Hai Restaurant | San Diego CA | 619-222-1181 |
| Rancho Bernardo Inn (Avant) | San Diego CA | 858-675-8505 |
| Kairoa Brewing Company | San Diego CA | 858-735-0051 |
| San Diego Yacht Club | San Diego CA | 619-758-6334 |
| The Joint | San Diego CA | 619-222-8272 |
| Blue Water Estate Services | Rancho Santa Fe CA | 858-720-9831 |
| Beaumont's | San Diego CA | 858-459-0474 |
| Lodge at Torrey Pines Grill | San Diego CA | 858-453-4420 |
| UCSD Food & Nutrition Department Hillcrest | San Diego CA | 619-380-9840 |
| Fishery | San Diego CA | 858-272-9985 |
| Mothership | San Diego CA | 858-342-3609 |
| Storyhouse Spirits Bar | San Diego CA | 801-949-5955 |
| Chef Drew Mc Partlin | San Diego CA | 619-990-9201 |
| Bar Same Same (Kitchen) | Carlsbad CA | 760-470-9143 |
| Harvest Kitchen | Vista CA | 619-709-0938 |
| Mister A's Bar | San Diego CA | 619-239-1377 |
| Shootz Fish X Beer | Oceanside CA | 978-290-6914 |
| Bernardo Heights Country Club | San Diego CA | 858-487-4022 |
| Carbon | San Diego CA | 702-423-3807 |
| WineSellar & Brasserie | San Diego CA | 858-450-9557 |
| Chef Jenn | Solana Beach CA | 858-212-9054 |
| Craft House Sky Deck | San Diego CA | 619-948-4458 |
| The Glen at Scripps Ranch | San Diego CA | 858-444-8500 |
| Sovereign Thai Cuisine | San Diego CA | 619-887-2000 |
| The Lion Share Bar | San Diego CA | 619-564-6924 |
| Blue Ocean | Carlsbad CA | 760-434-4959 |
| Terra Restaurant | San Diego CA | 619-293-7088 |
| Counterpoint | San Diego CA | 619-564-6722 |
| Secret Sister | San Diego CA | 619-281-0718 |
| Georges at the Cove | San Diego CA | 858-454-4244 |
| Fifty Two Remedies Bar | San Diego CA | 858-707-7016 |
| Mille Fleurs | Rancho Santa Fe CA | 858-756-3085 |
| Juniper & Ivy | San Diego CA | 858-481-3666 |
| Addison Del Mar | Del Mar CA | 858-350-7600 |
| Common Theory Chula Vista | Chula Vista CA | 619-495-3689 |
| Lost Cause Meadery | SAN DIEGO CA | 858-245-1911 |
| Barbarella La Jolla | La Jolla CA | 858-454-7373 |
| Brigantine Escondido | Escondido CA | 760-743-4718 |
| Fort Oak (Bar) | San Diego CA | 619-795-6901 |
| Oscars Brewing Company | Temecula CA | 619-695-2422 |
| Kaluu | San Diego CA | 619-338-9655 |
| Coronado Yacht Club | Coronado CA | 619-435-1848 |
| Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oysters | La Jolla CA | 858-228-5655 |
| Animae | San Diego CA | 619-925-7908 |
| Park Commons - ARE | San Diego CA | 619-295-3172 |
| Urban Kitchen Catering | San Diego CA | 619-276-8803 |
| Brigantine Coronado | Coronado CA | 619-435-4166 |
| Dija Mara | Oceanside CA | 760-231-5376 |
| College Cuisine - ZBT | San Diego CA | 619-295-3172 |
| Espadin | Temecula California | 951-383-5585 |
| Portside Pier (Brigantine) | San Diego CA | 858-268-1030 |
| The Flavor Chef (Catering) | Vista CA | 619-295-3172 |
| Tahona (Kitchen) | San Diego CA | 619-573-0289 |
| La Jolla Country Club | San Diego CA | 858-454-9601 |
| Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe | Rancho Santa Fe CA | 858-759-6063 |
| Paradisaea Bar | La Jolla CA | 732-915-6669 |
| Snake Oil Cocktail Company LLC | San Diego CA | 619-754-4041 |
| Waverly (Bar) | Cardiff CA | 619-244-0416 |
| Royal Polaris Sportfishing | San Diego CA | 619-226-8030 |
| Barra Oliba | San Diego CA | 610-310-5110 |
| An's Dry Cleaning | San Diego CA | 1-830-821-2405 |
| Campfire | Carlsbad CA | 760-637-5121 |
| Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines | La Jolla CA | 858-450-4581 |
| Cutwater Spirits (Bar) | San Diego CA | 619-672-3848 |
| Brigantine Del Mar | Del Mar CA | 858-481-1166 |
| Blue Ocean Sushi & Grill (UTC) | San Diego CA | 858-886-9909 |
| UCSD Health East campus | San Diego CA | 619-578-3373 |
| Juniper & Ivy Bar | San Diego CA | 858-481-3666 |
| Jake's Del Mar | Del Mar CA | 858-755-2002 |
| The Roxy Encinitas | Encinitas CA | 760-230-2899 |
| Jeune Et Jolie | Carlsbad CA | 858-231-0862 |
| PFC Fitness Camp | Carlsbad CA | 888-488-8936 |
| Primal Balance Nutrition LLC | Vista CA | 818-259-0995 |
| Sbicca Del Mar | Del Mar CA | 619-417-2587 |
| Humphrey's | San Diego CA | 619-224-3577 |
| Nunu's Tavern | San Diego CA | 619-756-4009 |
| Kettner Exchange Bar | San Diego CA | 909-915-9877 |
| Uptown Tavern | San Diego CA | 619-683-9322 |
| Brigantine Poway | Poway CA | 858-486-3066 |
| KI's | Encinitas CA | 760-586-8289 |
| Jujus Kitchen | Bonita CA | 619-471-5342 |
| Pamplemousse Grill | Solana Beach CA | 858-792-9090 |
| Rosewood Social | San Juan Capistrano CA | 669-243-8403 |
| Trust Restaurant | San Diego CA | 609-780-7572 |
| Manna | Encinitas CA | 510-366-3057 |
| Del Mar Country Club | Rancho Santa Fe CA | 858-759-5995 |
| Pacific Yacht Agents | Los Angeles CA | 808-214-0970 |
| Tahona (Bar) | San Diego CA | 619-573-0289 |
| Lumi | San Diego CA | 619-955-5750 |
| Artifact at Mingei | San Diego CA | 619-846-2164 |
| UCSD Food & Nutrition Department La Jolla | San Diego CA | 858-761-1269 |
| Park Hyatt Aviara (Ember & Rye) | Carlsbad CA | 760-448-1234 |
| Copper Kings | San Marcos CA | 323-810-1662 |
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Lemongrass. One
is easiest, three is harder.
