Hello my dear readers,
October already…in most of the world the cold weather started already and in some parts, spring is bringing up to life everything. What a beautiful world we have.
Today I would like to take you with me and discover a very used fragrant herb…Today let’s discover the rosemary and everything you need to know about this aromatic herb.
I believe most of you already know this woody, evergreen, with its needle-like leaves aromatic plant.
Rosemary, derives from the Latin name ros marinus, which literally means “dew of the sea.”, a member of the mint family, native to the Mediterranean region, has been hailed since ancient times as early as 5000 BC and after that was lost trace of it until Egyptians started to use it in their burial rituals. Then no other further mention of rosemary until the ancient Greeks and Romans, when the Greek botanist Pedanius Dioscorides, talked about rosemary in his most famous writing, De Materia Medica, one of the most influential herbal books in history.
Then the rosemary started its journey from Greece to China, from China to England and then to America, to South America and all around the world.
Rosemary is a low maintenance herb, pest-resistant and it can survive also a severe lack of water for lengthy periods, which sometimes happens when I’m travelling. If you try to grow it from seeds it will start very slowly but it can last even for 30 years.
My rosemary has 5 years and the beauty of this plant is that I keep cutting it and it keeps growing and become more and more like a little bush. The plant will naturally branch off from wherever I cut it, as long as I don’t cut the entire stem all the way back to the base of the plant.
The plant can also flower with white, pink, purple or deep blue flowers. Is gorgeous when is in bloom.
Rosemary it doesn’t deserve too much attention, I water it once per day and I don’t keep it in the direct sunlight. It thrive in warm, humid environments, so Singapore is the perfect place for it.
I only changed the pot one time, because I want to keep it this size, but it can grow quite large. I’m changing the soil maybe once per year. If you grow it in the garden, it will become a beautiful bushes and you can use it also as a landscape 😉
The rosemary has a warm, bitter, and astringent taste but yet it gives a flavorful finishing touch to many savoury dishes, like focaccia, chicken, lamb and it goes very well with barbecued meat and according to USDA, fresh rosemary has a very high reserve of vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, thiamin, folate, as well as minerals like magnesium, calcium, copper, iron, and manganese. It also has high dietary fiber and it is low in cholesterol and sodium but high in saturated fats.
A few of my delicious dishes were I’ve used rosemary:
Beside the fact that it is used as a versatile culinary seasoning and has a wonderful perfume, is also commonly used as ornamental plantings in the landscape.
Laboratory studies have shown rosemary to be rich in antioxidants and may also be good for our brain and might improve recovery. It was approved also for the treatment of indigestion and the aroma from rosemary can improve a person’s concentration, performance, speed, and accuracy and, last but not least improve our mood.
There are several legend around this lovely aromatic herb. It is said that rosemary will grow particularly well in gardens tended by strong-willed women. The fragrant herb was exchanged between friends as a symbol of loyalty and was believed to have magical powers to banish evil spirits.
Do you use rosemary in your kitchen?
Thank you all for reading.
Join me next time and let’s discover Athens, the place where all started in Europe: philosophy, art, history, politics and democracy.
And if you would like to discover more about our food, you may enjoy my previous posts
- Discovering our food: Beans
- Discovering our food: Cauliflower
- Discovering our food: Grapes
- Discovering our food: Eggplants
- Discovering our food: Parsley
- Discovering our food: Zucchini
- Discovering our food: Watermelon
- Discovering our food: Tomatoes
- Discovering our food: Basil
Photo credit: Pixabay, Popsicle Society edited by Popsicle Society
All the time.
One and only.
🙂 Thank you! Have a wonderful week!
I use rosemary when roasting lamb. As Shakespeare’s Ophelia reminds us, rosemary is ‘for remembrance’. Another good post
Thank you Derrick! I’m glad you like it!
I love rosemary! Especially on roasted potatoes.
Oh yes 🙂 In fact I’m working at my post for roasted potatoes 🙂 to complement this week’s rosemary topic 🙂
Nice!
Thank you 🙂
It is nice to grow such herbs at home, and adding fresh herbs into our food elevates it to a whole new level.
Very true Megala! I love having fresh herbs at home 🙂
What a wonderful herb. It’s a nice friend to have in the garden. When I walk by my pot, I am compelled to gently stroke a frond just so I can have that beautiful aroma on my fingertips!
Oh yes, I used to do it too back home 🙂 And the good part of the rosemary bush is that is forever green 🙂
Rosemary on lamb is my favorite. I can almost smell that delightful scent just thinking of if. Hmmm! 🤗
Very delicious indeed and the aroma is really delightful 🙂 Thank you Beckie!
My favorite herb! I have bought the plant but they only died.
Really? Pretty difficult to make it die though 🙂 Luckily you can find it fresh almost all the time 🙂
The first one died because I went on a vacation and my husband over watered it. 😆 I replanted the present one and it’s thriving I think. 😉
Better less water than too much in this case 🙂
You’re right. 😉
Good in antioxidants and lots of benefits and there are many legends about rosemary…. Thank you for sharing! Have a great evening! 💕
Thank you very much for reading Suni! Very appreciated! Have a wonderful day! 💕
You too Ribana! 😊💙
Love rosemary!
A great herb 🙂
Hey Ribanna, Great to know about Rose mary😂😂 i laughed it when i heard this name. My motherinlaw name is rosemary😆. I was explaining my wife about rosemary and i was repeating the name she looked at me like 🤨. Great to know about rosemary. We have seen this in market and never bought one or even tried it Well this post will let me try it 😉 Thanks Ribanna about all the benefits mentioned here 😉, how did i ever miss this beautiful herb 🤔… Have a beautiful week Ribanna🤗
Hi Simon, your mother in law has a very nice name 🙂 You better explain your wife that rosemary is a healthy aromatic plant before she start looking bad at you for talking about her mother 🙂
You can try, I especially like it with potatoes…I will post the post on Friday 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and for your time Simon! Have a wonderful day! 🤗
Hey Ribanna, Ive clarified,😂 she just thought i am mocking her. Then she realised😄 what i was mentioning 😁. Hmm Potatoes.. I’ve been avoiding that lately 🤔 Let me ask my wife to give a try 😉 Lets give a try to this aroma✨
🙂 I’m sure you both will like it 🙂
Wow! 30 years! Amazing… I use it a lot in my cooking but never thought of the facts around it. Your rosemary looks beautiful. <3 Whenever we see this plant in the supermarket I always sniff like a pervert 😂 because not only that smells good, I read that it also improves ones memory.
Hello dear Jess, oh yes, I was puzzled too, 30 years 🙂 I’m really proud of my rosemary 🙂 is so resilient and is always useful in the kitchen 🙂 I like to sniff them too in the supermarket, all these aromatic herbs, smells so good 🙂 and have s lot of benefits too 🙂
Good evening, i use it not often, because i dont really know how to use it, oho, looks huge, in 5 years it grow a lot, i need one as well, i didn’t knew, that they grow so easily, i have trouble to grow basilica, it always dry of somehow, even if i give some water.
The food looks lovely, specially the last picture, mmm:)
Thank you Ilona for stopping by! Rosemary is very easy to grow as is not a demanding plant but its smell is wonderful 😉 Usually is used to marinate barbecue meats or with potatoes or in sauces…it gives a nice flavor! Basil loves sun and not too much water 💦 but is a little bit more sensitive than the rosemary 😊
Rosemary is tastefully fragrant. Thank you for giving more info.👍
Thank you very much for stopping by and for reading! I’m glad you found it interesting 😉