Loomi
Whole limes boiled in brine and sun-dried until hard and black, giving a sour, musky depth to Gulf and Iraqi dishes.
Also: dried black lime, limu omani, noomi basra, dried lime
Loomi, also called limu omani or Omani lime, is a lime that has been boiled in salted water and dried in the sun until it turns light to nearly black and hollow. It gives a sour, earthy, slightly fermented taste, different from fresh lime. Cooks in the Gulf, Iraq and Iran pierce one and drop it into rice dishes, stews, soups and teas. Ground loomi powder is rubbed on meat and fish. The practice preserved citrus on trade routes. The flavour can be bitter if the lime is left whole and simmered too long, so cooks remove it halfway. It is an important element of the Persian khoresh and the Gulf machboos.