Lemon Myrtle: An Amazing Australian Native Ingredient

Spices are one of those things that have ability to transform any bland dish into a delicious one. Once you have found the right balance of spices then you are good to go. One of the best and the most common spices are Lemon Myrtle.

Lemon Myrtle is a spice which is native to Australia. This is one of those delightful Australian rainforest spices and it further has a lime or a lemon kind of fragrance to it. This spice also tastes like lemons. You can order this spice online by simply typing ‘where to buy Lemon Myrtle’ in your search engine. However, before doing that, you should have a few pieces of information regarding this spice. Those pieces of information are mentioned below.

Finding Lemon Myrtle

This citrus fragrance spice is native to the coastal areas of Australia. It is often described as more lemon tasting than lemon itself. This spice is known to grow in the wild regions of Victoria, South Australia, and New South Wales. This spice has been used and grown in these regions for over a thousand years. It has been given the biological name of Backhousia.

Lemon Myrtle is also now grown in the southern United States, South Africa, some parts of southern Europe and China. The popularity of this spice has recently skyrocketed because of its delightful taste. You can buy this spice online by searching ‘where to buy Lemon Myrtle’.

Lemon Myrtle Description

The tree on which this spice is found tends to grow to a height of almost 8 meters or 26 feet. However, in rare cases, these trees can attain a height of almost 20 meters or 60 feet. The leaves of this tree are fragrant and are easily distinguishable due to their glossy, dark green and lance-shaped structure. This tree also grows white colour flowers that tend to grow in clusters. The flowers, fruits, and leaves of this tree are completely edible.

The flavour of Lemon Myrtle is sort of tangy and lemony. It further has lime zest note to it and it also leaves a pleasant numbing camphor aftertaste.

Storing Lemon Myrtle

The powdered lemon myrtle is available in various stores online and offline. This spice is quite popularly stored in spice shops, herb stores, and gourmet food retailers. It is advised that you only buy this spice in small amounts. These spices have the volatility of the essential oils, and they also taste best when they are fresh. Lemon myrtle should be ideally stored in cool and dark places.

Benefits of Lemon Myrtle

Apart from using this spice for cooking purposes, it also has a few medical benefits. This spice can act as an antiseptic and can further help in the treatment of gastrointestinal infections and gastric ulcers.

It can also help in alleviating intestinal spasms. It can further produce a relaxing effect if you experience a severe reaction to any kind of food. This spice is also used these days to cure many throat infections. It is used in shampoos, soaps, baby lotions, and many other household items as well.

Example of how to use lemon myrtle

Make your own healthy lemon myrtle tea at home

Lemon myrtle pairs well with green tea and cinnamon. Help your tummy to digest those heavy foods and relax with a cuppa in the evening. If you like the convenience of a delicious herbal brew with lemon myrtle why not try our matcha chai made with ceremonial grade green matcha and chai spices plus lemon myrtle and rose petals.

lemon myrtle flavoured shortbread

Trick up your favourite shortbread recipe with a dash of lemon myrtle. The sweet tangy lemon aftertaste of melt in the mouth short bread will have your friends and family craving more.

Here are some perfect reasons to add lemon myrtle to your pantry.