A resinous, pine-scented Mediterranean shrub with needle leaves — the herb of roast lamb, potatoes and focaccia, strong enough that a sprig does the work of a handful of anything else.
Where it comes from
Rosemary grows wild along the coasts of the Mediterranean; its Latin name meant ‘dew of the sea’. It has been a symbol of remembrance since the Greeks, was strewn at weddings and funerals, and has been in the kitchen throughout, particularly in Italy, Provence and Spain, with lamb, pork, game, beans and bread. In Britain the pairing with lamb goes back centuries.
Its flavour is camphorous and piny and does not fade with cooking, which makes it a herb for roasting, grilling and braising rather than for salads or sauces finished at the end. The woody stems are useful in their own right: stripped of leaves, soaked and used as skewers, they perfume whatever is grilled on them.
Varieties
- Common rosemary — Upright, dark green needles, silvery beneath. The cooking rosemary; varieties differ in hardiness more than taste.
- Prostrate (creeping) rosemary — A trailing form with the same flavour, slightly milder; grown for walls and pots.
- Tuscan Blue and other named upright forms — Garden cultivars with large leaves and strong scent; good for the kitchen.
In the kitchen
Use it whole and take it out, or chop it very fine. Whole sprigs tucked under a roast or into the oil around potatoes release their flavour and can be discarded; coarsely chopped needles in a dish are unpleasant to eat. Finely minced with garlic and salt it becomes the rub for porchetta and the base of a Tuscan bean stew.
A little goes far. One sprig for a roast, one for a pan of potatoes, one for a pot of beans. Warmed briefly in oil or butter it gives up its flavour faster than in water.
Choosing and keeping
Fresh rosemary keeps two weeks or more in the fridge, and a bush in the garden or a pot on a windowsill is the sensible way to have it. Dried rosemary keeps its flavour for a year but the needles stay sharp and tough — grind them or use whole and remove.
Sprigs should be green and supple, not browning; the scent when a needle is crushed should be immediate.
Dishes with rosemary
Purica s mlincimaroast turkey with mlinci, torn sheets of baked dough softened in juices
Mish në hellwhole lamb or kid turned on a spit over embersUnited StatesThanksgiving turkeyRoast turkey with stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce
Cargols a la llaunasnails grilled on a tin with garlic, aioli
PašticadaDalmatian beef braised with prošek and prunes, served with gnocchi
Fužihand-rolled Istrian pasta quills with truffles or game sauce
Carn a la llosaMeat grilled at table on a heated stone slab with herbs and salt.
RacletteCheese wheel melted and scraped over potatoes, gherkins, onions.Rosemary is tagged on 29 dishes from 17 countries in the atlas. These notes are written from general knowledge and carry no per-fact citation — see About.