in south indian cuisine, especially tamil cuisine, citron is widely used in pickles and preserves. in tamil, the unripe fruit is referred to as 'narthangai', which is usually salted and dried to make a preserve. the tender leaves of the plant are often used in conjunction with chili powder and other spices to make a powder, called 'narthellai podi', literally translating to 'powder of citron leaves'. both narthangai and narthellai podi are usually consumed with 'thayir sadam' (curd rice - yogurt rice).