Herbs B - C

Basil is used in tomato sauces, pestos, pizzas, and cheeses. It is used in green Thai curry blend, bouquet garni, and Italian seasonings. The early Romans used this herb as a symbol of love and fertility. Through the centuries, it became a custom of young Italian suitors to wear a sprig of Basil as a sign of their marital intentions. In India, Hindus believed that if a leaf of Basil were buried with them, it would serve as their passport to heaven. Dried basil leaves are very useful for slow-cooked dishes or sauces. Once the herb is dried, it lacks the heady scent and clove-like flavour of the fresh leaf but adds a deep and pungent flavour. Not suitable for salads or any dish where little or no cooking is involved.

Bay Leaves. Used in soups, stews, stocks, pickles, marinades, tomato dishes, and meats. Mediterranean, French, Moroccan, and Turkish cuisines use Bay Leaves in spice blends such as bouquet garni and curry blends. In Ancient Greece and Rome, bay leaves and branchlets were used as wreaths to crown their victors. Champions of the Olympic games wore garlands of bay leaves. Our word "baccalaureate" means "laurel berries" and signifies the successful completion of one's studies. It alludes to the bay wreaths worn by poets and scholars when they received academic honours in ancient Greece.

Bouquet Garni is a collection of herbs (Marjoram, Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Bay Leaves ) that are bundled together and cast adrift in your pot to flavour a soup, stew, or broth. They can be tied together so they can be removed easily at the end of the cooking. Some people wrap the herbs in a bit of cheesecloth. However we sell a number of infusers which allow our bouquet garni to be easily removed from your pot

Chervil Leaf. A delicate sweet, anise-like flavour useful with fish in particular. The herb is popular in French cooking and is also seen in many German recipes. The flavour is good when used in dishes that require quick or little cooking, less so in a long slow-cooked dish such as a stew when the flavour can be more elusive. Chervil, Anthriscus cerefolium, is a small low-growing annual of the carrot family. It derives its name from the Latin chaerophyllum which means "festive herb" or "herb of joy." Its lacy, fern like foliage is dried and ground for seasoning. Even though it is a member of the Parsley family, it is much more aromatic. Used in poultry, seafood, vegetables, vinegar, and soups. Chervil is used in French and European cuisine and the spice blends of bouquet garni and fines herbs. Chervil is native to eastern Europe and western Asia. It was introduced to France and England by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago.

Chives, Allium schoenoprasum, are the reed-like stems of a perennial, bulbous plant of the lily family. The name "Chives" is derived from the Latin cepa, meaning onion. Chives are a member of the onion family. Used in cold soups, stir-fried items, cheese and cream sauces, dips, potatoes, and as a garnish. Chives are popular in European and Chinese cuisines and in the seasoning blend fines herbes. Chives have been used in many cuisines for over 5,000 years. The German word for Chives is Schnittlauch, which means "cuttable leek".