Loomi (Dried Lime): How It Is Made, How It Tastes and How to Cook With It

Loomi is a whole lime that’s been boiled in salt water and dried in the sun until the inside turns dark, and Saveur calls its flavor “at once sour and musky.”¹ You’ll also see it sold as dried lime, black lime, Omani lime or limoo amani. Around the Persian Gulf and in Iran it’s a staple souring ingredient, dropped whole into slow-cooked stews or ground and stirred into rice. In Oman, limes are still dried the traditional way, in the open air, over 25 to 35 days.²

At a glance

How loomi is made

In countries bordering the Persian Gulf, ripe limes are boiled in salt water (brine) and dried in the sun until the inside turns dark. A 2021 study of lime drying notes that Oman still dries limes the traditional way, in the open air, and it takes 25 to 35 days there.²

The finished limes run from parchment brown to charcoal, which is where the name black lime comes from. For powder, the dried limes get broken open, seeded and ground.

You’ll often hear that loomi started as limes left on the tree until they dried. We couldn’t find a source for that story.

Which lime?

Katzer lists the lime on his page as Citrus aurantifolia, but for dried limes he just says “ripe limes” and names no variety.³ Kew’s Plants of the World Online treats that name as the hybrid Citrus × aurantiifolia, a cultigen from the eastern Himalaya.⁴ We couldn’t trace the claim that loomi is usually made from Persian limes, or that the Persian lime comes from Iran, to any source.

Katzer adds that the lime, unlike the more subtropical lemon, needs a tropical climate, and that it probably comes from Southeast Asia, where many related species grow wild.³ Kew’s “eastern Himalaya” and Katzer’s “Southeast Asia” don’t quite line up, so we’ve given you both.

Flavor and aroma

Saveur calls the flavor “at once sour and musky.”¹ The Cook’s Illustrated editors describe the fermented complexity dried limes bring to soups and stews, along with a musty, earthy note.⁵ They give a distinct citrus smell and a sour tang. Think of lime juice with the brightness turned down and a dark, slightly bitter, almost smoky depth added. We didn’t find any study of loomi’s aroma compounds.

How loomi is used

• Whole, in stews. Katzer says whole limes are crushed or pierced with a skewer and added to slow-simmering foods, giving legumes and meat dishes a citrus smell and sour tang.³ Saveur suggests a few pricks with a knife so the cooking liquid can get into the fruit.¹
• In rice. Katzer gives majboos, an aromatic rice dish of the Gulf States, as an example, and notes that powdered loomi flavors rice in Iran and northern India, best with long-grain basmati.³ Saveur’s example is a shrimp and rice pilaf.¹
• With seafood. The Cook’s Illustrated editors suggest grating the zest of dried limes over finished fish and shrimp.⁵
• As tea. Dried limes are often steeped in water on their own for a fragrant tea.

Saveur suggests paler limes for lighter-colored dishes and black ones for darker stews.¹ Ground loomi can also brighten a spice rub or stand in for lemon zest in a lemon pepper blend.

Technique

Taste as the dish cooks, and pull the whole lime out before serving. Many cooks seed the limes before grinding, as Saveur describes for commercial powder.¹ You’ll often hear that the seeds add bitterness, but none of the sources we opened confirmed it.

Buying and quality

We didn’t find a grading standard for dried limes. Look for whole limes that feel light and hard, with no mold inside when you crack one. Color naturally varies from tan to black.

Storage

We didn’t find a published shelf-life figure for dried limes. Keep whole limes in an airtight jar away from light, and grind them just before use to keep the aroma fresher.

Health claims

You may read that loomi helps prevent diabetes, cancer or heart disease, or that it’s a meaningful source of potassium, pectin or folate. We couldn’t trace any of that to research on dried limes. We found no human research on loomi itself, and we’re not making health claims for it.

Substitutes and comparisons

Sumac is the closest stand-in for ground loomi as a sour finishing powder, and lime zest plus a little juice can get you near the citrus side. See loomi substitutes for the ranked list. Related pages: kaffir lime leaves, mango powder, kokum and the list of herbs and spices.