Lemongrass, about 17cm long, fresh

Lemongrass thrives in tropical climates. Of the reed-like sweetgrass, the soft part above the tuber is used fresh or dried. Due to the high content of citral, an essential oil, it has a gentle lemon-like aroma. Lemongrass is very popular as a spice especially in the Southeast Asian cuisine. It harmonizes very well with ginger, coconut, garlic, shallots and allspice. Fresh lemongrass is flatted with the back of the knife and removed from the food after cooking. This is necessary because the citronsgrass stems are very fibrous and can not be eaten with.