Herbs

Group Leader InstructionsFor this lecture take to class some herbs from your cupboard or purchase a couple to take to class.  Perhaps one fresh and one frozen.  This will get your class involved and give the non herb users a chance to see what they are like and discuss their uses.  Please remember your members will stick to their diet if they are not bored and are enjoying their food!
From the early days of civilization, man has used a variety of herbs to vary and enliven the flavour and aroma of monotonous basic foods.  Most herbs that we use originated from the hot and seasonally dry regions of the Mediterranean region, eg. the bay laurel, sage, and thyme, where they are still used today in national and regional dishes.  The distinctive flavour and aroma is due to the presence of volatile oils which are contained in minute glands on the leaves and stems of most varieties, whilst in others the oils are within canals inside the leaves and fruits.  Hence the need to chop the herbs in many cases to obtain a fuller flavour and aroma.  Research has now discovered that too much salt is bad for our bodies, sousing lots of much herbs is a great way of adding flavour but not calories.

Cooking with Herbs

There are endless uses for herbs but a few common ones include soups, such as carrot and coriander, salads, like chives in Fauchette salad and sauces, such as,  tarragon in sauce Bearnaise.  Fish dishes benefit, such as, dill with salmon trout.

Fresh or Dried

Herbs may be used fresh, but the majority of
them today are purchased dried, either naturally or freeze dried.  Ideally, herbs such as chives, mint and parsley should be used when fresh.  Most herbs have a strong flavour and so only small quantities should be used in any dish.  Certain herbs have rather particular properties, for example, when basil, marjoram and thyme are used the quantities of salt and pepper required in a particular dish can be reduced.  Unfortunately the use of herbs in the regional foods of Britain are not very common.  This Is a pity as a large variety of herbs are easily grown here.  If you are getting bored and need something to occupy your time, perhaps you could start your own herb garden or window sill! 

Common Herbs

Basil

This can be grown in the U.K but it is particularly grown in warmer climates such as Italy and California.  It's spicy fragrant leaves, similar to that of cloves, make it ideal for many uses in soups, salads, stuffing, fish and pasta dishes.  It is used in many Italian dishes.

Bayleaf

This is a member of the laurel family and is the original laurel used by the Greeks and Romans to make the ceremonial wreaths to crown their distinguished leaders.  It is an evergreen tree, only the leaves of which are used. The leaves are also used in a bouquet garni and in turtle herb mixtures.

Bouquet Garni

This is not a herb in the usual sense.  It is a small bundle of standard herbs tied together and used to flavour sauces, soups and stews.  It consists of a small bay leaf, a sprig of thyme and a few  parsley stalks tied together either between two small pieces of celery or leek stalk.

Chives

These belong to the same family as onions, leeks and garlic but differ from them by their very mild flavour and their habit of growth.  They grow as dense tufts of long, green, narrow, grassy tubular leaves about 6-8” in length.  They have a mild onion flavour and are used fresh when finely chopped on salads, sauces and soups.

Dill

A hardy, aromatic annual herb which grows to about 2ft tall and has an appearance like that of a young fennel.  Its very divided, threadlike, bluish-green leaves are used in sauces, fish dishes and for pickling cucumbers.

Fennel

The leaves, which are similar to those of dill, grow out from the bulbous type vegetable.  The fresh leaves have a pleasant sweet aniseed flavour and can be used for fish, poultry and salad dishes, as well as when finely chopped with many types of vegetables instead of using parsley.

Garlic

A small bulbous plant, related to the onion and shallot family.  The root of the garlic plant is white when ripe and divides into segments called cloves.  It is a very strong herb and must be used sparingly.  Its uses are numerous and include many sauces, stews and salads.

Marjoram

There are three common varieties of marjoram; wild, pot, and sweet marjoram of which the sweet variety is used mainly.  It has a rather strong aroma and is used in many Italian regional dishes.

Mint

There are more than a dozen different types of culinary mint with a great variety amongst them, eg. ginger mint, white peppermint and pineapple mint.  The mint commonly used for culinary purposes is the spearmint.   The common uses are mint sauce, mint jelly and to flavour and decorate new potatoes and garden peas.

Oregano

The name given to a variety of marjoram, imported from Mexico, which is more pungent than wild marjoram.  It is used particularly in the preparation of Italian pizzas and Chilli con Carne.

Parsley

The most commonly used herb in the U.K.  Not just for its flavouring properties in parsley sauce, stuffing and bouquet garni, but also its sprigs are used fresh or deep fried as a garnish or decoration for many fish and meat dishes.

Rosemary

A hardy evergreen plant that is densely covered with pine-needle like leaves.  The leaves are often used in Italian cookery with veal and traditionally cooked with lamb.

Sage

A small, easily grown shrub with grey-green velvety leaves.  It has a strong flavour and aroma and is used in the stuffing for ducks and geese and for flavouring many types of sausages.

Tarragon

A valuable culinary herb, with long thin leaves on tender stalks.  It is used in salads and sauces, and it is also used for decorative purposes on cold fish and meat dishes.  It is one of the 'fines-herbes' as well as being used in the preparation of tarragon vinegar.

Thyme

A popular herb in the U.K., being used in bouquets garnis and as a flavouring in sauces, soups, stews, stuffing and several types of sausage preparations.

Which herbs do you use?  Which new would you consider trying?