Herbs In The Kitchen

Herbs are described to be the soul of cooking. They can make a routine meal into a tangy, spicy, refreshing dish with a ton of flavors.

Many herbs help make foods easily digestible. Angelica anise, balm, basil, caraway, coriander, dill, fennel, mint, rosemary and sage have long been eaten for this digestive quality.

In Medieval times meat was wrapped in tansy to deter flies and to give the flesh a spicy flavor. Minty penny royal was added to kegs of fresh water on long sea voyages to help keep it sweet.

A salad for King Henry VIII included over 50 leaves, buds, flowers and roots.

Thomas Tusser's sixteenth-century garden plan for farmers wives was to plant no less than 70 salad and pot herbs.

After the Industrial Revolution and the move from the countryside into towns, herbs became less important in the kitchen. Now, with a renewed interest in the culinary arts, herbs are enjoying a comeback!

Most fruit and vegetable farms grow their crops to meet the demands of the supermarket shelf life rather than the taste, so herbs and spices must be added to make the taste come to life again. Herbs bring to life any dish, snack or drink. They can also supply extra nutrition to everyday meals, they contain a small but rich balance of vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Which is important for your body. Eyes, brain, digestive tract, heart, and more can all benefit from cooking with herbs.

I will post a new herb on a new page so that you may learn about it and how to use it.