Sweet woodruff has whorled, rough-edged leaves, which give it its generic name Asperula - meaning rough. It has a pleasant fragrance, due to the presence of coumarin, when dried (hence the specific name odorata, meaning fragrant). It is a perennial herb with a creeping rhizome and tiny white flowers. Its range of distribution includes practically the whole of Europe, where it often forms dense undergrowth in deciduous woodlands.
It is also found in western Asia and North America. If it does not grow wild nearby, it can be readily grown in the garden, either from seed or from young shoots detached and replanted during the flowering period. The top parts of the herb, either fresh or dried, have a number of uses. Drying must proceed slowly, at a temperature no greater than 35C (95F).
Nowadays woodruff is well-known as an essential ingredient of the German `Maibowle'. This is prepared by steeping the young shoots in Rhine wine to which brandy and sugar or a piece of orange peel are sometimes added. The first record of this magical love and restorative potion, then called 'May wine', was made by a Benedictine monk in the year 854.
In France it is the custom to add woodruff to champagne, whereas in Switzerland to cognac or Benedictine. In the United States it is used in making a May punch consisting of a mixture of wine, brandy and Benedictine. In northern Europe woodruff is used to flavour certain kinds of sausages and salamis.
Tarragon is a perennial herb 60 to 120 cm (2 to 4 ft) high with entire, undivided, broadly linear leaves and tiny flowers. The name Artemisia is apparently derived from Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt and patron of virgins, for some Artemisia species have abortive properties. The specific name dracunculus is the Latin word meaning small dragon, or snake, probably in reference to the linear, tongue-shaped leaves. The 13th-century Spanish physician and botanist Ibn Baithar states that fresh tarragon shoots were cooked with vegetables and the juice of tarragon was used to flavour beverages. He further writes that tarragon sweetens the breath, dulls the taste of bitter medicines and promotes sleep.
Nowadays it is used to make tarragon Vinegar (a'fresh sprig of tarragon put in a bottle of white or wine vinegar), tarragon mustard and pickled gherkins. It is widely used in Chinese and French dishes, especially with poultry, rice and poached fish, and in Barnaise and Tartare sauces.
It is also found in western Asia and North America. If it does not grow wild nearby, it can be readily grown in the garden, either from seed or from young shoots detached and replanted during the flowering period. The top parts of the herb, either fresh or dried, have a number of uses. Drying must proceed slowly, at a temperature no greater than 35C (95F).
Nowadays woodruff is well-known as an essential ingredient of the German `Maibowle'. This is prepared by steeping the young shoots in Rhine wine to which brandy and sugar or a piece of orange peel are sometimes added. The first record of this magical love and restorative potion, then called 'May wine', was made by a Benedictine monk in the year 854.
In France it is the custom to add woodruff to champagne, whereas in Switzerland to cognac or Benedictine. In the United States it is used in making a May punch consisting of a mixture of wine, brandy and Benedictine. In northern Europe woodruff is used to flavour certain kinds of sausages and salamis.
Tarragon is a perennial herb 60 to 120 cm (2 to 4 ft) high with entire, undivided, broadly linear leaves and tiny flowers. The name Artemisia is apparently derived from Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt and patron of virgins, for some Artemisia species have abortive properties. The specific name dracunculus is the Latin word meaning small dragon, or snake, probably in reference to the linear, tongue-shaped leaves. The 13th-century Spanish physician and botanist Ibn Baithar states that fresh tarragon shoots were cooked with vegetables and the juice of tarragon was used to flavour beverages. He further writes that tarragon sweetens the breath, dulls the taste of bitter medicines and promotes sleep.
Nowadays it is used to make tarragon Vinegar (a'fresh sprig of tarragon put in a bottle of white or wine vinegar), tarragon mustard and pickled gherkins. It is widely used in Chinese and French dishes, especially with poultry, rice and poached fish, and in Barnaise and Tartare sauces.
0 comments:
Post a Comment