Herbs and Culinary Uses 🌿

My curiosity about various herbs started with the song 'Scarborough Fair' mentioning parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, leading me to delve deeper into research and experimentation.🔸 https:///recipe/106550028/ 🔸 https:///recipe/106673200/ 🌿 Dill – also known as fish herb, resembles fennel with its feathery leaves and has a fragrant, mildly sweet taste. It pairs wonderfully with seafood, earning the nickname 'fish herb'! However, its aroma diminishes quickly when heated, so it's best used in pickling or added just before serving. Dill is commonly found in cold dishes, pickles, paired with sour cream, cheese, seafood, and soups, especially with salmon. 🌿 Rosemary – boasts a sweet aroma with a hint of pine, making it ideal for meats. Known as the 'meat triangle' when paired with butter and garlic while pan-searing steaks. Besides using fresh leaves, dried rosemary retains robust flavor, frequently paired with lamb, chicken, pork, and potatoes. 🌿 Thyme – has a distinctive herbal aroma and is perfect for strongly flavored dishes like beef and seafood, helping to enhance flavors. Thyme has historical significance, symbolizing bravery during medieval times in Europe, often gifted to warriors as a token. In China, records of thyme seasoning camel humps and hooves date back over 700 years to the Yuan Dynasty's Complete Collection of Essential Household Items. Li Shizhen also mentioned thyme in the Compendium of Materia Medica for stewing lamb. 🌿 Oregano – the soul of pizza carries a hint of sweetness and spiciness. If thyme is herbaceous, oregano shines with its bold fragrance. Perfect for barbecued meats, chicken, and cheese. Although many of us simplify pizza by using tomato sauce, authentic pizza sauce includes oregano, onion, basil, garlic, and butter for flavor enhancement. Interestingly, it pairs better with tomatoes than pizzas. Many Western dishes using tomato, including pizzas, pasta, and North African eggs, combine well with oregano. 🌿 Basil – has a slightly sweet, mild spiciness and a rich aroma. Basil can be added to any dish, especially found in pizzas, salads, and pasta. Keeping a pot at home can freshen the air and repel mosquitoes, and its leaves can be brewed for tea. Most basil in Western cuisine is sweet basil, carrying a subtle sweetness with its strong scent, competing with fennel. The Thai basil used in three-cup chicken is also a form of basil, enhancing the flavor of Vietnamese pho. 🌿 Sage – has a fragrant note with a slight peppery taste. Commonly paired with pork, beef, duck, chicken, turkey, pasta. 🌿 Parsley – an adornment for any Western dish, it belongs to the umbrella plant family, sharing its lineage with common celery but having a subtle fragrance. For years, it has been used as a garnish with a low presence. In Chinese cuisine, it’s often used merely for decoration. In Western dishes, it commonly appears as green minced herbs. Adding a sprinkle of parsley works wonders for almost any Western meal. 🌿 Coriander/Cilantro – known as '香菜' in Chinese, carries a rich aroma. Commonly used in Asian, Middle Eastern, Mexican cuisines, and salads. It can be used as a garnish or added for flavor just before serving. 🌿 Tarragon – belongs to the aster family and is also called '青蒿'. It has a flavor reminiscent of fennel, spicy but also half sweet and bitter. It’s widely used in French cuisine, particularly with chicken! Fresh leaves can also be used in salads. Additionally, it offers breath-freshening, digestion-boosting, and sleep-aiding properties. 🌿 Perilla leaves can be eaten as vegetables or used medicinally. In Japanese cuisine, they become tempura or are used to make perilla salad, stewed meat, or stir-fried snails. 🌿 Mint – has a strong, sweet aroma, commonly found in Yunnan and Southeast Asian cuisines, such as mint beef and vegetarian spring rolls. 🌿 Fennel – packs a strong aroma with a hint of star anise. It pairs commonly with pork, fish, and seafood. In Chinese cuisine, we often see pork and fennel dumplings. 🌿 Chives – have a mild onion flavor; they pair well with fish and creamy soups. 🌿 Bay leaves – have a strong aroma that’s somewhat sharp and spicy. Used in soups, broths, stews, casseroles, and sauces, a few dried bay leaves suffice. 🌿 Lemongrass – offers a robust lemon scent. In Thailand's Tom Yum soup, the 10cm lemongrass base adds intense flavor. Lemongrass can be used to stir-fry beef or roast lamb. 🌿 Lemon leaves – have a strong lemon aroma and a slightly bitter taste, often used in Tom Yum soup. 🌿 Galangal – has a more robust flavor than regular ginger. It's common in Thai cuisine. 🌿 Culantro – looks completely different from coriander but has a more intense taste. Commonly paired with Vietnamese noodles.