• Mediterranean Summer
• Plant profiles
• Rosemary

Rosemary - uses

Rosemary is one of the most prized culinary herbs. Its leaves have a bitter, astringent taste, which complements oily foods, such as lamb and oily fish. It can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes but is most often used as a dressing for roast meats. In Italy, butchers often include free sprigs of rosemary when selling meat. In England, a roast lamb is not complete without a dressing of rosemary, while it can also be used as a stuffing when barbecuing fish. Rosemary is also used as an aromatic herb to add flavour when smoking meats.

Rosemary leaves and flowers can also be used to make a tea, said to be good for headaches, colic, colds and nervous diseases as well as depression. Rosemary has also been used in herbal remedies for relieving asthma.

In the past rosemary was believed to aid memory and was often made into garlands for students when they were sitting their exams. It is also a symbol for remembrance, and was even given a place in Sakepspeare's Hamlet: "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance" Ophelia says.

Rosemary is one of the few plants that has been used for many centuries at both weddings and funerals.

As a word of warning rosemary is extremely powerful as an essential oil and can be toxic – it should never be placed on the skin, or ingested, and should be avoided if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Next: Rosemary - Growing...