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Angelica – Angelica archangelica officinalis
Native to northern Europe and Syria, and brought to England in the sixteenth century, this is now grown throughout Europe and Asia. Angelica’s roots were chewed as an antidote to the plague and later as a cure against hydrophobia. Among the tallest of the herbs, angelica reaches eight feet/2.4 m in height. Its stems can be braised like celery, its roots stewed with fruit to sweeten puddings and fools, and its leaves used to flavour fish. But it is most often encountered candied, its stems crystallised for use in cakes and as decoration. |
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Basil – Sweet basil – Ocimum basilicum; bush basil – Ocimum minimum
A low-growing plant, native to India, which came to be cultivated in the Middle East; the former is the more valued of the two. In Greece, basil was a holy herb, gathered under the supervision of priests. Though available dried, it is appreciably better fresh. In the West, Italy and France make the most use of this herb and its particular affinity for tomatoes, fish, and pasta. It is the basis of the famous pesto of Genoa and the soupe au pistou of Provence. The Thai variety (called “holy basil”) is even more pungent than the European and is a common ingredient in stir-fries and curries. |
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Bay – Laurus nobilis
A large tree found throughout the Mediterranean, whose glossy, scented leaves were used to crown Green and Roman victors in wars, games, and literary contests. A traditional strewing herb in medieval times, bay was thought to ward off the devil. Its strong smell is detectable in many liniments and toilet waters. Much valued today as a culinary herb – a requisite of bouquet garni – bay is also one of the four essential spices of the Mogul kitchen. Available as leaves, both fresh and dried, and in powdered form, bay is an important addition to marinades, courts bouillons, and stews. It is also a common ingredient in sauces and pickles, and has a particular affinity with fish, meats, and game. |
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Chervil – Anthriscus cerefolium
A native of Russia and the eastern Mediterranean, this sweet-flavoured herb – like a delicate parsley – was brought to Britain by the Romans, reaching the height of its popularity in the middle Ages, when it was eaten as a purgative during Lent. It was also recommended as an antispasmodic and blood purifier. Despite chervil’s inherent delicacy, it has the power to enhance other herbs, and is therefore a constituent of the French fines herbes. Chervil’s slightly aniseed flavour is also well-partnered with fish, chicken, eggs, and cheese dishes, and is excellent in cold consommés and salads. |
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Chives – Allium schoenoprasum
Found all over Europe, the Americas, and southeast Asia the spiky, hollow leaves of this member of the onion family were used in Chinese medicine as early as 3 000 BC, were a gourmet delight of the Greeks, and were exploited by the French as a culinary herb. Unlike most herbs, chives respond well to aggressive trimming: more grasslike leaves simply shoot up to take the place of those that were cut. Chives are best used fresh; even freeze-drying quickly dissipates the flavour. The light onion taste goes well with egg and cheese dishes and as a liberal garnish over soups and salads. It is one of the ingredients of fines herbes. |
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Cilantro – Coriandrum sativum
Also known as coriander, the feathery leaves of cilantro are a familiar ingredient to lovers of spicy Tex-Mex and Mexican cooking. The herb made its way to the New World from China (hence its sobriquet “Chinese parsley”) and India via Moorish Spain, where it had been brought by Arab settlers. The acrid flavour of the leaves is still much appreciated by Levantine and North African cooks, who make liberal use of cilantro in cooked dishes and salads. India retains its use in “curried” dishes, but traditional European cooking outside Spain has never found the flavour of the leaves – as opposed to that of the seeds – generally appealing. (See also Coriander under Spices.) |
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Dill Seeds
Import from India. Used in pickles, cheese spreads and salad dressing. Adds zest to sauerkraut, cabbage, turnips, cauliflower and potato salad, also liverwurst, frankfurters. |
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Dill leaves – Anethum graveolens
A relative of parsley and fennel, dill grew wild and wide across central Asia and the Mediterranean region, where it is still a staple herb of Lebanese cuisine. The Romans respected its strengthening properties, and included it in the diet of gladiators. It travelled in their camp kitchens to western, and thence to northern Europe; it naturalised in the former but must be cultivated in the latter. The leaves and seeds now feature strongly in the cuisines of these areas – particularly Poland, Germany and Scandinavia. Heavy immigration from those countries to the United States, has made dill a fixture of American cooking, the indispensable ingredient in the eponymous “dill pickles” which accompany pastrami on rye, hot dogs, potato salad, and most outdoor meals. Now available across Europe, dill is an exceptional partner to cucumbers, salmon and new potatoes.
(See also Dill seeds under Spices.)
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Fennel leaves – Foeniculum vulgare
Light, feathery fennel leaves are easily confused with dill leaves, yet this native southern european plant was valued for its digestive properties long before dill. Fennel is now found both wild and cultivated everywhere, although it is still most appreciated in Italy and Provence, where it is seen as an accent to grilled or baked fish, and used in sauces, soups, and marinades. The stems are also thrown onto coals when barbecuing fish. (See also Fennel seeds under Spices.) |
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Fenugreek
Somewhat sweet, somewhat bitter. It is used as a basic ingredient in most curries. Also used to flavour vertain cheese. Grown in the Middle East and Asia. |
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Kaffir lime – Citrus hystrix
The leaves of this southeast Asian tree are sold in pairs in Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian markets, and are used to flavour fish
and shellfish soups and casseroles. |
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Lemon Balm – Melissa officinalis
Found on the hillsides of the Middle East, this herb’s Latin name is a clue to its earliest use in apiculture by Greek monks (melissa – “of the bee”). Today its aromatic leaves, which dry successfully, make refreshing infusions, teas, cordials, punches and wines. It marries with any dish that benefits from a hint of citron – be it chicken, fish, soup of a salad. |
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Lemongrass – Cymbopogon citratus; Cymbopogon flexuosus
There are several species of this aquatic grass, all native to southeast Asia. Only recently appreciated in Western kitchens, lemongrass is today grown in Australia, Africa, South America and the United States. The citric oil in the stem has the zesty kick of leon and is often combined with the leaves of the Kaffir lime and cilantro to produce the characteristic flavour of Thai, Malay and Indonesian cooking. It can be dried but fresh lemongrass has a far finer flavour. |
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Marjoram – sweet marjoram – Origanum majorana; pot marjoram
– Origanum onites
A native of the eastern Mediterranean, marjoram has been grown for its medicinal and culinary properties since medieval times. The preferred variety is sweet marjoram, an annual; perennial pot marjoram is more sprawling with a less intense flavour. Marjoram’s pleasing aroma and healing power has continued to make it useful for herbal shampoos, and as a palliative for earache and toothache. Its spice flavour complements tomato dishes and many Mediterranean recipes, often in tandem with, or replacing, thyme. (See also Oregano.) |
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Mint – spearmint – Mentha spicata; peppermint – Mentha piperata;
apple mint – Mentha rotundifolia; pennyroyal – Mentha pulegium
Of thesethe most useful in the kitchen is spearmint; its tangy, refreshing taste lifts young vegetables (potatoes, carrots, peas, and so on) and lamb. Mint is cited as the chief herb of Mogul cuisine, and the cucumber, tomato and bulgur salads of its place of origin – the Maghreb – also display its accents, as does the heady mint tea characteristic of the area. The other mints of the family can serve when spearmint is unavailable; peppermint is a well-known digestive and has been a traditional ingredient in lozenges for generations. Pennyroyal (its Latin name means “flea mint”) is particularly strong-flavoured, and is the customary seasoning for black pudding (blood sausage). If used in place of other mints, it should be with a light hand. |
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Mixed Herbs
A blend of seven herbs, with a wide varity of uses. Adds zest to most meals, especially stews, roasts, tomato dishes and fish recipes. |
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Oregano – Origanum vulgare
As its Latin name implies, this is the “common” cousin of marjoram, found growing wild across southern Europe, to the steppe of the Caucasus and Nepal. Known as “the joy of the mountains” to the Greeks, it is still much favoured by mediterranean cooks. In Italy it flavours pizzas, pastas, and many tomato dishes; in Greece, where the even more pungent variety Origanum heracleoticum (colloquially known as rigani) covers the dry slopes of the mainland and islands, the dried leaves and flowers distinguish lamb dishes, classic moussakas and salads. |
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Parsley – Petroselinum crispum
An ingredient in bouquet garni and fines herbes, parsley is probably the single most used herb in the European and North America repertoires, and is grown worldwide. Initially a staple of the Mediterranean kitchen (Sardinia claims it as its own), parsley’s use was spread throughout Europe by the Romans, who valued its appetite-enhancing qualities during their epicurean banquets. From early popularity as a tonic and elixir (to cleanse the blood and promote sexual prowess and fecundity), it has dwindled to more prosaic – if practically universal – culinary use. It is still valued for its high vitamin, calcium, and iron content, while eating a sprig or two after consuming garlic is said to freshen the breath. It is available in curly-leaved and flat-leaved varieties, the latter usually preferred by Mediterranean (and gourmet) cooks. |
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Rosemary – Rosmarinus officinalis
“Rosemary for remembrance” said Shakespeare, recalling the herb’s traditional role as a mental stimulant, and a symbolic plant in the language of love. Its Latin name, meaning “dew of the sea”, is probably a reference to its wild northern Mediterranean origins, particularly dry coastal hills. Brought to Britain and France by the Romans, it was respected as a sedative and as an aid in increasing circulation and in digestion. Its camphoric scent and flavour were appreciated by medieval cooks, but though its potency remained constant in Italy and southern France (and through immigration, in the United States) by the nineteenth century it had all but disappeared from British recipes. Its revived reputation as seasoning for meat, particularly lamb, poultry and pasta sauces in northern Europe is due largely to the widespread popularity of the “cuisine of the sun”. |
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Sage – Salvia officinalis
This herb shares with elderflower a reputation as a cure-all, and was
cultivated by the Arabs as a prescriptive for longevity. Native to the northern Mediterranean, the gray-green shrub has taken root in chalky soil across Europe and North America, where its warm, slightly bitter flavour improves stuffing
for meat and poultry. Sage displays a natural affinity for pork, making its fatty flesh more digestible. It is one of the herbs that dries most successfully. |
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Salad burnet – Pimpinella sanguisorba
Introduced by the Romans to France and Britain, burnet was one of the main herbs in the Tudor knot garden, taken fresh or in a winter tonic, or as a blood cleanser. It was also valued as a coagulant. Today, its nutty flavour is less in demand, and usually used as an addition to a mixed green salad. |
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Savory – Summer savory – Satureja hortensis; winter savory
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Satureja montana
The annual summer variety is the more delicate of the two varieties of savory, and can be substituted for thyme in recipes, usually those for meat and fish (especially freshwater fish). It also has a remarkable affinity for green and haricot beans. The more piquant winter variety, a perennial, was very common in Britain in the sixteenth century, accompanying the first settlers to America. |
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Sorrel – French sorrel – Rumex scutatus; garden or wild sorrel
– Rumex acetosa
The French variety has a subtler flavour and is much appreciated in that country, where it is often encountered as a sauce for fish or eggs, or in soup. A relative of dock, sorrel was prized by the ancient Egyptians as a medical and culinary herb. |
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Thyme
A herb imported from France and Spain. Stew, soups, meats, eggs and tomato dishes gain tastiness from Thyme. Sprinkle on sliced tomatoes for flavour variety, stuffings, boerewors and liverspreads. |
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Baking Ingredients 
