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©2006 Clove Garden

• History and General Information
• Cooking With Herbs -
• Buying & Storing Herbs
• Varieteis
• Herbs & Health -
• Links - to other herb sites

Arugula - see Rocket.

Banana Leaf - [Musa acuminata, Musa paradisiaca (plantain)]
Bananas are the largest of the herbs. Their leaves are used in many tropical cultures as a flavoring wrapper for steamed and baked foods. The photo shows a quarter leaf (split down the spine and about half length) about 4 feet long by 13 inches at the wide end. Banana plants grow all over Southern California as decoratives, but are generally not suitable as wrappers because the leaves have been split up by the wind.

Basils are a major sub-tibe of the mints. Varieties of these aromatic plants are grown worldwide and are of particular importance in Italy and Thailand.

Camellia - [Tea, Cha, Chai, Camellia sinensis (Camellia family)]
This Southeast Asian camellia, source of the green, white, black and oolong teas of commerce, is closely related to camellias grown as decoratives.

Celery - [Apium graveolens var. dulce mostly cult. Pascal]
Celery, most commonly used as a vegetable, appears here because it's leaves are used as an herb. Medeterranean in origin, celery is now grown worldwide. Unfortunately, market celery is cut off a couple of inches above the first branching so few leaves are available.

Celery, Chinese - [Kin-tsai, Bai Khuen Chai, Kun Choy, Apium graveolens dulce]
Chinese celery is much like European celery was in ancient Greek and Roman times. Leafier, stringier and stronger in taste than regular celery it is not used raw. If you can't find Chinese celery use regular celery above the first branching.

Chahe - a name I've seen only in a local store that serves Armenian, Slavic and Mid Eastern communities. By taste and appearance it is a variety of Rocket smaller than the Arugula now in such favor with the yuppies.

Cilantro - [Coriander, Chinese Parsley, Ngo (viet), Mui (viet), Coriandrum sativum]
This member of the parsley family is used fresh, and even overused, in almost every cuisine in the temperate and tropical world. "Coriander seeds" in the spice jars are the dried fruits of this plant. Cilantro leaves are almost never used dried because they lose their flavor almost totatlly.

Culantro - [Mexican Coriander, racao (caribbean), Ngo Gai (viet), pak chi farang (thai), Long Coriander, Eryngium foetidum (parsley family)]
This herb native to Central America does not at all resemble common Cilantro (Coriander) but is in fact closely related and of similar flavor. It's a popular culinary herb in the Caribbean and Central America and has been planted in other tropical areas. It's now popular in Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam where it's torn up and added to the popular pho soup. In Thailand, where it's name, pak chi farang, means "foreign corriander" it's used for curry pastes when Cilantro roots are not available.

Curry Leaf - [Chalcas koenigii (Citrus family)],
This member of the citrus family produces aromatic leaves much used in India, particularly southern and central India and Sri Lanka and essential to authenticity in those cuisines. There is no known substitute so if you don't have them you just have to leave them out. They have an aromatic and slightly camphorous taste and are generally used in small quantity, fried in oil with the cumin or mustard seeds before adding the onions or other main ingredients.

Dill - [Shebet (farsi), Ukrop (russia) Anethum graveolens (Parsley family)]
Like several other parsley family herbs, Dill shows up in both the herb (Dill Weed) and spice (Dill Seed) lists. A native of central Asia, dill is important in the cuisines of Afghanistan, Persia and Russia and has spread to all surrounding areas. A milder species (A. sowa) is grown in India. Fresh dill is much used with fish in Scandanavia and Germany and as a pickling herb worldwide.

Epazota - [Stink Weed, Jesuite tea, Chenopodium ambrosioides (Goosefoot family)]
This relative of spinach originates from Central America. It is mostly used with beans, and black beans in particular. It has a unique taste and odor with no ready substitute. Savory has been suggested as a substitute because it also goes well with beans but the flavor is definitely not the same. Dried Epazote is very much inferior to fresh, but only those who grow their own have access to the fresh herb. Fortunately it's weedy nature makes it easy to grow in warm and temperate climates.

Fennel - [Finocchio (italy), Foeniculum vulgare (parsley family)]
Fennel is unusual in being used as a spice (dried fruits) as an herb (fronds) and as a vegetable (swolen stem bases). The tender feathery fronds are used as a sweet licorice flavored herb in fresh salads and sprinkled over various dishes, particularly those containing fennel "bulbs". These fronds are generally taken from the same variety used as a vegetable due to easy availabiity. A different, bulbless variety of the same species is used for the spice.

Fenugreek - [Methi (india), Shanbalile (persia), Trigonella foenum-graecum (Bean family)]
Young fronds of this bean are used as a slightly bitter herb in the cooking of Persia, parts of India and the Near East. The tiny angular seeds are also used as a spice in a somewhat wider area. Fresh fronds can be found in some ethnic groceries but are not common. You can grow your own easily from the seeds. Harvest when about 6 inches high.

Lovage - [Levisticum officinale (Parsley family)]
A most important herb in the cuisine of ancient Rome, Lovage is still grown and used in southern and central Europe but has faded just about everywhere else. Leaves, fruits and roots have similar flavor. Lovage is not grown commercially in the U.S. but is available from the herb section of local plant nurseries and should be grown by anyone interested in recreating Roman cusine as celery is an inadequate substitute.

Miner's Lettuce - [Winter Purslane, Spring Beauty, Indian lettuce; Claytonia perfoliata]
This herb, native to the western mountain and coastal regions of North and Central America, is the only member of the purslane family (Portulacaceae) other than Common Purslane used for food in North America and Europe. It is also now fairly widespread in Western Europe.

Named for the California Gold Rush miners who ate it to prevent scurvy, miner's lettuce can be used raw in salads or cooked like spinach which it somewhat resembles in taste. The photo shows round form of leaf with a flower dot at the center which will grow into a stem with a bunch of flowers at the tip. The normal leaves are heart or spade shaped - all those other leaves belong to other weeds. This herb does best in moist shady locations. Photo by Antandrus - public domain.

Mints are a large family of aromatic herbs including:

• Basil
• Mint
• Oregano
• Perilla
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Savory
• Thyme

Ngo Om (viet) - [Ba Om, Rau Om, Rice paddy herb, Limnophila aromatica (figwort / snapdragon family)]
This acquatic herb grows well in still water, such as found in rice paddies. It's particularly popular in Vietnam for sour fish soup and with chicken but is also used in China and Japan. The flavor can best be described as a mix of lemon and cumin. In Chinese, Japanese and Korean the name of this herb is a modified name for Perilla, a completely unrelated herb. While the two tastes are far from identical they are suggestive of each other.

Parsleys are a large family of aromatic herbs many of which also provide fruits for spices and roots or stalks as aromatic vegetables. Important members of the family include:

• Ajwan,
• Asafoetida
• Anise
• Caraway
• Celery
• Coriander (Cilantro)
• Cumin
• Dill
• Fennel
• Lovage
• Parsley itself
• Sylphion (extinct)

Parsley - [ Petroselinum crispum (Parsley family)]
Of Medeterranean origin, parsley is used as an herb and its small woody roots are used as an aromatic vegetable for flavoring stocks and the like. Unlike other members of the parsley family the fruits are seldom used. There are three common cultivars, flat leaf (Italian), curley leaf and root parsley.

For all culinary applications use the flat leaf parsley - curly leaf parsley is purely decorative and for its edibility might as well be plastic. Parsley is generally used as a flavoring herb or garnish but is sometimes a featured ingredient as in Turkish Bulgur. Dried parsley is useful only for adding flavorless green specs to stuff.

Perilla - [Shiso (jap), Kkaennip (korea), Beefsteak plant, Summer Coleus, Wild Basil, Chinese Basil, Rattlesnake Weed, Perilla frutescens (Mint family)]
The flavor of this broad leafed member of the mint family is distinctive but very difficult to describe. A little lemony, a little peppery, minty and a bit weedy and medicinal. It is now widespread but of culinary use mainly in East Asia where it originated, particularly in Japan and Korea. Americans most commonly encounter the leaf with sushi and sashimi in Japanese restaurants but it has been used as a commercial flavoring here in toothpaste, candy and soft drinks.

The variety in the photo, widely available in Asian markets in Southern California, is green on top and tends to purple on the underside. Some Japanese and Vietnamese varieties are intense purple on both sides and some, particularly a Korean variety are completely green. Perilla is very toxic to cattle, sheep and horsess but is safe for people, at least in the quantities used.

Parilla seeds are used as a spice and parilla oil, squeezed from the seeds, is used for cooking in Korea and other Asian countries. The seed is used medicinally, particularly in China. and the oil is now being promoted on "health food" sites at the usual high prices and with the usual "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)" disclaimer.

Purslane - [Verdolagas (Mexico); Sanhti, Punarva (India); Pigweed, Little Hogweed, Portulaca oleracea]
This succulent weed common in California vinyards is actually native to India and the Near East. It was extensively used in ancient Greece and still appears in Mediterranean cuisines. There is evidence it had already migrated to the New World well before Columbus. The only other member of the Purslane family (Portulacaceae) used as food in North America and Europe is Miner's Lettuce, also known as "Winter Purslane".

Purslane is used raw in salads, as a cooked green similar in taste to spinach. It is also used in soups where it's slightly mucilaginous nature acts as a thickener. It can be found in markets serving a Mexican community.

Purslane is unusually high in Omega-3 fatty acids and is also a source of vitamin C and dietary minerals. It also contains powerful antioxidants which may have anti-cancer properties. In India it is used as a liver tonic.

Rau Dang - [(Viet), Foo Yip (Cantonese), Glinus oppositifolius]
This strong flavored somewhat bitter herb does not yet have a common English name, but is popular for certain fish soups and stews in Vietnam. Elsewhere it's use is mainly medicinal. A related herb, G. lotoides, also native to Africa and Southeast Asia has recently been found as an invasive weed in California as well as Louisiana and other southern states.

Rocket - [Arugula, Rucola (it), Ruchetta (it) Eruca sativa (mustard family)]
A salad herb native to the Mediterranean where it grows wild. It was greatly in favor in Europe during Medieval times and has been reintroduced to become a darling of the nouvelle cuisine enthusiasts. The alternate English term Arugula probably derives from Italian, adopted to make it sound more high class. It's peppery, mustardy sharpness adds interest to salads but is lost by cooking.

Rue - [Ruta graveolens]
An intensely bitter herb, rue has faded from the culinary scene except in Ethiopia. Once widely used in the Mediterranean region it is still occasionally called for in traditional recipes and also appears as a flavoring in some distilled beverages. It should always be used fresh, so you will need it in your garden if you wish to use it. A common decorative, it can be found in the herb section of most well stocked nurseries and is easy to grow in temperate climates. The blue-green leaves are very small, about 3/8 inch long. Detail and Cooking.

Savory - [Marzeh (farsi), Summer Savory Satureja hortensis, Winter Savory Satureja montana (Mint family)]
Savory's flavor is about midway between Thyme and Oregano. The two most common species of Savory (anual Summer Savory and perennial Winter Savory) are culinarily equivalent. Unlike Thyme Savory is used mostly with vegetable dishes, particularly beans. It has been suggested as a substitute for Epazota (which can be hard to find) for Central and South American dishes, though the flavor is definitely different. Savory can be used raw in salads and when used in cooked dishes it should be added right at the end of cooking to preserve flavor. Savory should be used fresh as it looses its character when dried.

Silphion - [(Parsley Family)]
Silphion was grown in North Africa when it was the breadbasket of the Roman empire, but was rendered extinct by the desertification resulting from poor agricultural practices. While the leaves were sometimes used as an herb and stalks as a vegetable the main use was for resin obtained by cutting the roots or stalks. This resin was highly prized and very expensive, but the only similar product available today is Asafetida which was considered highly inferior when silphion was available.

Tarragon, French (German) - [Estragon (fr. and other) Artemisia dracunculus (sunflower family)]
Tarragon, Russian - [Artemisia dracunculus (sunflower family)]
Tarragon, Mexican - [Tagetes lucida (sunflower family)]
There are three common varieties of tarragon. French Tarragon is greatly to be preferred but is rarely available in the U.S. because it's so hard to grow. Not only can it not be propagated from seed but it can't grow long in the same place because it poisons its own soil. It must be propegated by root division in the spring and planted in fresh soil. The leaves of French Tarragon are whiter and narrower than those of the Russian.

Russian Tarragon (photo) is more closely realated to the wild form (originally from Siberia) and is greatly inferior in flavor. Unfortunately it's what you'll always find in the stores because it's much easier to grow. Russian Tarragon leaves are wider and a fresher green color than those of French Tarragon.

Mexican Tarragon grows well in relatively warm areas and is most used in the southern U.S.. The leaves are a dark shiny green and relatively short and wide compared to other tarragons. It produces prominent orange flowers.

Tarragon is used primarily in French cuisine where it is an essential ingredient of Bérnaise Sauce and mixed with other herbs (typically chives, chervel and parsley) for the boquet called "fines herbes". Because dried tarragon is useless the flavor is often preserved in vinegar (tarragon vinegar).

Thyme - [Zatar (farsi & other), Thymus vulgaris (Mint family)]
While there are over 300 species of thyme, nearly all those of culinary use are varieties of T. vulgaris, a native of southern Europe. Thyme is much used as a flavoring for meat dishes and soup stocks. Thyme dries relatively well so it is often used as a dried herb.

• H1 - Vietnamese herbs - Viet World Kitchen.
• H2 - Culinary herbs - Richters.
• H3 - Asian Vegetables, Herbs - Victoria Australia.