History of lemongrass

Botanical name for lemongrass is Cymbopogon citrates. The genus name, Cymbopogon, comes from the Greek “kymbe” meaning boat and pogon, meaning beard. The original use of lemongrass was probably as a food flavoring agent in Asia. The leaves are cooked with foods especially curries.

Lemongrass provides a milder, sweeter, and far less sour lemon flavor to soups, teas and a variety of dishes.

The origin of lemongrass is unknown, but the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians have use lemongrass for centuries as a flavoring agent in medicines and as an aromatic in cosmetics. Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder reported in the use of aromatic grasses in the first century.

Ancient palm-leaf manuscripts found in India were preserved with lemongrass oil. Systematic cultivation and distillation of essential oil began in Kerala, India in the 1880s.
History of lemongrass