The traditional Persian dried lime used to sour stews is called limoo amani.
Also known as dried lime or black lime, limoo amani is made by preserving limes until their skin and flesh become dry and dark. Cooks pierce the whole limes or crush them before adding them to dishes, allowing their sharp citrus flavor to infuse slowly during cooking.
It is especially associated with Persian stews called khoresh, including ghormeh sabzi and khoresh gheimeh. The dried fruit contributes acidity, bitterness, and a distinctive fermented-citrus aroma that fresh lime does not reproduce exactly.
The spelling varies in English transliteration: “limu omani,” “limoo amani,” and “limu amani” all appear. The name can also cause confusion because the limes are not necessarily from Oman; the term reflects a historical trade association. In Persian, they are commonly called limoo amani or limoo omani.