Herbs A-Z

Basil, Ocimum basilicum, is an annual kitchen herb in the Lamiaceae (mint) family originally from the tropical areas of central Africa through to Southeast Asia.

Several cultivars have culinary uses from sweet, Genovese basil to Thai and lemon varieties.

Basil is best used fresh for its tantalising fragrance and bright spicy taste – a fresh, green flavour of sweet anise and cinnamon with notes of cloves in the Asian varieties.

Widely used in Asian and Mediterranean cuisines, basil adds its fresh flavour to noodles, pasta, pesto, salads, salad dressing, sandwiches, sauces, soups, stir fries, and vinaigrettes and is best added to cooked foods at the last minute to retain flavour.

True bay leaves (bay laurel, true bay, sweet bay laurel) are harvested from the aromatic shrub, Laurus nobilis, which is native to the Mediterranean region. Fresh, its flavour is mild and slightly astringent with a hint of eucalyptus and light floral notes. Dried, the flavour mellows and takes on woodsy and floral or tea-like notes.

Not to be confused with California bay, Umbellularia californica, which has an intense and pungent flavour of eucalyptus.

Found in numerous cuisines such as Brazilian, Indian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Philippine, dried leaves can be used whole, crumbled, or dried. The subtle flavour adds depth to fish, meat, and poultry dishes and is a standard ingredient in sauces, soups, and stews.

Chervil, is a tender, flowering annual herb in the Apiaceae (carrots, celery, and parsley) family, with a mild, licorice-like flavour similar to basil or tarragon.

Chervil is commonly used in French cuisine to season mild-flavoured dishes such as eggs, fish, poultry, salads, seafood, soups, spring vegetables, and vinaigrettes. It’s also a main component in the French blend “Fines Herbes .”

Chervil should be used fresh or added to cooked dishes at the very end as cooking destroys its gentle flavour.

Chives, Allium schoenoprasum, are a bulb-forming perennial in the Allium (onion) genus native to much of Asia, Europe, and North America that is used for its mild, onion-like flavour with hints of garlic.

Popular in several global cuisines, both flowers and scapes (leaves) are edible.

Fresh, the flowers and scapes cab be diced and used to season canapes, compound butters, eggs, fish, seafood, sandwiches, soups, vegetables, and as a garnish.

Cilantro leaves come from the coriander plant, Coriandrum sativum, an annual herb in the Apiaceae family native to Iran.

The leaves and stems have a sharp herbaceous flavour with notes of lemon and lime.

Used in Asian, Caribbean, Latin American, and Mexican cooking cilantro flavours in chutneys, dal, guacamole, salsa, salads, and soups and is best used fresh for peak flavour.

Curry leaves, or sweet neem leaves, come from the curry tree, Murraya koenigii, which belongs to the family Rutaceae (rue) and is native to subtropical regions of India and Sri Lanka.

The pungent leaves aren’t related to curry powder, but they give a similar flavour – warm, spicy, and herbal with distinct citrus notes.

Used in the cuisines of India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, and Sri Lanka, the flavour of fresh curry leaves works well in chutneys, curries, rice pilafs, soups, stews, and vegetarian dishes.

Dill is an annual, flowering herb and yet another member of the family Apiaceae.

Native to broad areas of Eurasia, dill is used for its strong, unique taste – a warm combination of fennel and celery, with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Dill is used extensively in the cuisines of Baltic and Eastern Europe, India, the Middle East, Scandinavian countries, and Southeast Asia to flavour borscht, canapes, compound butters, eggs, fish, pickles, sauces, soup, spreads and vegetables.

It’s also found in a dried variety in the spice aisle.

Lemon grass is native to and often found in the cuisines of Thailand, India, and Myanmar.

It has a citrus flavour similar to its namesake and can be used fresh or dried and powdered.

It’s also used for medical purposes in India and as tea in Latin America and in eastern African countries such as Ghana, Congo, and Togo.

It’s best used when chopped and minced due to its woody, fibrous nature. If used whole, it’s best to remove them before serving.

It pairs well with chicken, shrimp, beef, pork, and lamb and often finds its way into Thai stir fry recipes.

Marjoram, Origanum majorana, is a cold-tender perennial herb in Lamiaceae family native to temperate Asia, Europe, North Africa, and parts of North America and has a flora, woodsy flavour of sweet pine and citrus.

Fresh marjoram is widely used in Mediterranean and North American cooking to season game, marinades, meat, poultry, sauces, sausages, soups, stews, tomato dishes, vegetables, and vinaigrettes.

Add fresh marjoram at the end of cooking, just before serving.

Mint is one of several species in the genus Mentha of the Lamiaceae (mint!) family and is native to Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, and North America.

Spearmint and peppermint are common garden and grocery store varieties, and both feature a clean, sweet flavour with tones of eucalyptus and a distinct cooling sensation – peppermint having a sharper, more pungent taste than its parent, spearmint.

Fresh mint is widely used in Middle Eastern and British cooking to season fruit, lamb dishes, mint jelly, mint sauce, salads, and veggies like peas and potatoes.

Use fresh, tender leaves for the best flavour.

Oregano, Origanum vulgare, is a flowering perennial in the Lamiaceae family native to temperate regions of Western and Southwestern Eurasia including the Mediterranean basin.

Intensely aromatic, its flavour is warmly pungent, with earthy notes of camphor, hay, and mint.

Popular in the cuisines of the Mediterranean, Latin America, North America, and the Philippines oregano is used to flavour beans, breads, fish, grilled meat, lamb, pasta, poultry, salad, and salad dressings, sauces, tomato dishes, and vinaigrettes.

Parsley, Petroselinum crispum, is a biennial flowering herb in the Apiaceae family native to the central Mediterranean basin that is used for its clean, bright, and grassy flavour.

Commonly used in European, Middle Eastern, and North American cuisines, fresh flat-leaf parsley is used to flavour compound butters, fish, pasta, potato dishes, poultry, rice, salads, salad dressings, seafood, soups, stews, stock, vegetables, vinaigrettes and blends like bouquet garni and fines herbes.

Curly leaf parsley is more commonly used as a pretty garnish.

Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, is a perennial, shrubby herb in the Lamiaceae family native to the Mediterranean basin that is renowned for its strong, warm flavour of earthy pine.

Used extensively in French, Mediterranean, and Italian cooking fresh rosemary seasons fish, grains, grilled meats, herbal teas, lamb, pork, poultry, rice, stews, vegetables, and vinaigrettes.

Sage, Salvia officinalis, is a perennial evergreen herb in the family Lamiaceae from the Mediterranean region. Its strong, warm, and peppery flavour has hints of citrus, eucalyptus, and pine.

The strong flavour of fresh sage goes a long way in a recipe, so use a light touch to season eggs, fruit, gnocchi, pasta, poultry, sauces, sausages, stews, and stuffing.

Tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus, is a perennial herb in the Asteraceae (sunflower) family that is indigenous to the temperate areas of central Asia and has a sweet, grassy flavour of licorice, pepper, and eucalyptus.

Fresh tarragon features prominently in French cooking and is superb for seasoning Bearnaise sauce, compound butters, eggs, fines herbes, fish, poultry, salads, salad dressings, seafood, tomato dishes, and vegetables.

And it’s also used to great effect in condiments, dressings, sauces, tarragon vinegar, vinaigrettes., rice pilafs, soups, stews, and vegetarian dishes.

Thyme, Thymus vulgaris, is a flowering perennial herb in the Lamiaceae family native throughout the western Mediterranean and into southern Italy. It has an intense woodsy/floral flavour, and depending on the species, can have tones of caraway, lemon, or mint.

Popular in French, European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cooking, thyme is a primary ingredient in the Levantine spice mixture za’atar as well as the French blends of bouquet garni and herbes de Provence.

Use fresh thyme to season beans, cheese dishes, eggs, grilled meats, lamb, lentils, poultry, sauces, stews, stock, stuffing, soups, tomato dishes, vegetables, and vinaigrettes.