Common rue (Ruta graveolens) comes from the Balkan Peninsula and North Africa but has been naturalized all over the world. The Rutaceae family to which common rue belongs also includes citrus trees. It was widely used in ancient times, but its use has declined because of its reputation for toxicity and a flavor that can […]
Paracress: Brazil’s Toothache Herb
Paracress is not a relative of the real cresses despite its name; instead, it belongs to the Asteraceae family along with echinacea and dandelions. It has very different culinary qualities from watercress and its ilk. Unlike the pungency that cresses get from isothiocyanate, the sharpness of paracress centers around the mouth only. Isothiocyanate is the […]
Frankincense: A Famous Aromatic Resin
Frankincense consists of dried sap from trees belonging to the Boswellia genus. Most frankincense comes from Boswellia sacra trees, but several species provide different grades of the resin. The highest grades are Silver and Hojari. Producers harvest frankincense by cutting the bark of the Boswellia trees and letting their sap ooze out. The sap eventually […]
Korean Mint: Pungent And Bold
Korean mint’s botanical name is Agastache rugosa. People have been eating it and using it as a medicine for a long time — the first recorded use of the herb was around 500 AD. It has several other names such as Chinese patchouli and blue licorice. Along with Agastache foeniculum, Korean mint is sometimes called […]
Houttuynia Cordata: The Fish Herb
Houttuynia cordata is native to different parts of Asia, including China and Vietnam. It gets its botanical name from the name Houttuyn after Dutch naturalist Martin Houttuyn. The cordata part of the name comes from the Latin word for heart. The first Westerner to describe Houttuynia cordata was the Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg who […]
Water Hyssop: A Nootropic Herb
Water hyssop is also called brahmi, but it sometimes goes by its botanical name: Bacopa monnieri. Note that in India, Centella asiatica (gotu kola) is also called brahmi. Brahmi translates to expands consciousness. While water hyssop is native to India and the surrounding region, it has become naturalized all over the world. You can find […]
Moroccan Mint: North Africa’s Beloved Tea Herb
Moroccan mint is a variety of spearmint. Moroccan mint’s botanical name is Mentha spicata var. Crispa, which is the mint variety used in Morocco. Other names for Moroccan mint include curly mint because of the frilly shape of the leaves. You may also hear it called Maghrebi mint or nana mint. Maghrebi refers to the part […]
Culantro Vs. Cilantro: SPICEography Showdown
Culantro and cilantro are both common herbs in the Americas, though they are not equally common in all parts of the Americas. Despite the similarly spelled names, they are very different herbs. Culantro is more common in some parts of the West Indies and Latin America, while cilantro is a staple in others. Both show […]
Eight Delicious Bronze Fennel Uses
Both bronze fennel and regular fennel both belong to the same family as carrots, dill, and parsley. The herb comes from the Mediterranean region where it has been used for millennia. The bronze form of the herb is not quite as popular as its greener cousin but it has a similar flavor and plays almost […]
Pickling Salt: The Perfect Salt For Pickle Brine
Historians believe that the practice of pickling food may have originated around 2400 BC. The Mesopotamians may have been the first to pickle foods but some sources claim that it actually began in one of the world’s earliest cities called Mohenjo Daro, located in present-day Pakistan. The original purpose of pickling was to preserve foods that were out […]