Kathi KevilleOriginally from Asia Minor and Egypt, anise now grows throughout the Mediterranean. Turner’s 1551 Herbal recommends it “maketh the breth sweter.” The oil’s delightful taste still flavors pharmaceuticals, confections...
Cinnamon has an amazing variety of uses beyond flavor. It can treat a number of medical ailments, enhance mood, has antiseptic properties, and has even been used as an aphrodisiac.
Basil comes from India, but has been cultivated in the Mediterranean for thousands of years and is now also grown in North Africa. The genus name Ocimum is probably from the Greek word “to smell.” Once made into cleansing water for the...
Clary sage was mixed with ambergris, cinnamon, brandy and sugar into a popular European cordial for digestive problems and to improve the complexion. It still flavors muscatel wine and tobacco; the largest U.S. grower is the tobacco company R. J...
Also called “laurel,” bay leaves were once placed on the heads of headache sufferers and Greek scholars. Today, we still confer a baccalaureate degree, which means “noble berry tree” in French. Crush a leaf and the smell is...
Not a picturesque plant with its grasslike leaves, vetiver’s (or vetivert) thin, aromatic roots are its treasure. They are distilled in Java, R‚union, Haiti, Brazil and India. Door and window screens (called tatties) and fans are woven in East...
A medieval European love potion, facial water and cordial called Huile de Venus, this “oil of love” toned muscles and softened complexions. It was also sipped to quell indigestion. Today caraway seeds are more likely to find their way...
Cardamom is a relative of ginger from the Middle and Far East, where it flavors Turkish coffee and East Indian chai tea. The seeds were a valued export item in ancient Greece. Family: Zingiberaceae Extraction: Distilled from the seed. Oleoresin. The...
The Arabs, who traded it for a frankincense substitute, called this Southeast Asia tree “incense of Java,” or luban jawi. The Europeans interpreted this as benjawi and pronounced it “benjamin,” then “benzoin.”...
The small green fruit produced by this Mediterranean citrus tree aren’t edible or pretty, but the smell they emit is wonderful! Unfortunately, you must live in a warm climate like California to grow them. First mentioned in the 17th century En...
