On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 770
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mostlyalphabeticalorder.
Freshherbsareusuallyharvestedfrom
matureplants,oftenasthey’rebeginningto
flower,whentheirdefensiveessentialoil
contentisatitspeak.Theoilcontentof
Mediterraneanherbsishigheronthesideof
theplantfacingthesun.Aninteresting
variationistoharvestthemasyoungsprouts
withjustafewleaves,whentheiressentialoil
contentcanbeverydifferent.Fennelsprouts,
forexample,containrelativelylittleaniselikeanethole,whichdominatestheflavorof
thematureplant.
TheMintFamily
Themintfamilyisalargeone,witharound
180genera,anditprovidesmoreofour
familiarkitchenherbsthananyotherfamily.
Whysuchgenerosity?Afortunate
combinationofseveralfactors.Membersof
themintfamilydominatethedry,rocky
Mediterraneanscrublandswherefewother
plantsgrow,andtheycopewiththeirexposed
situationwithavigorouschemicaldefense.
Theirchemicaldefensesarelocatedmainlyin
smallglandsthatprojectfromtheirleaves,
externalandthereforeexpandablestorage
tanksthatcanmakeupasmuchas10%ofthe
leaf’sweight.Andmembersofthemint
familyarebothpromiscuouschemistsand
promiscuousbreeders:individualspecies
makeabroadrangeofaromaticchemicals,
andtheyreadilyhybridizewitheachother.
Theresultisagreatvarietyofplantsand
aromas.
BasilBasilsarealargeandfascinatinggroup
of herbs. They’re members of the tropical
genusOcimum, which probably originated in
Africa, and was domesticated in India. There
are around 165 species in the genusOcimum,
several of which are eaten. Basil was known
to the Greeks and Romans, took firmest root
