ตะไคร้

In Thai, lemongrass is ตะไคร้ (takhrai) — a word with no connection to lemons. The English name 'lemongrass' is a description, not a translation: a grass that smells like lemon.

Takhrai is one of the holy trinity of Thai cooking, alongside galangal (ข่า, kha) and kaffir lime leaves (ใบมะกรูด, bai makrut). These three aromatics define what makes Thai food taste Thai.

Lemongrass was used medicinally in Southeast Asia for centuries before it became a culinary staple. It repels insects, settles stomachs, and adds a citrus brightness to soups and curries.

The English name stuck because it's intuitive — you can smell lemon and see grass. But 'takhrai' carries the full cultural context: the markets, the mortar and pestle, the soup pot.