Translate

Thursday, April 7, 2016

INTERNATIONAL: HERBS AND SPICES 22: SARRIETTE OR SUMMER SAVORY (from Provence in France)



(Pronounced sah ree et)




Looks rosemary, doesn't it?


PURCHASE:  You can order from Amazon using "sarriette" as the search word to get the authentic French Herb. If you use summer savory you will get other products also. 

USE:  Sarriette or summer savory (not as bitter as winter savory) is used as an ingredient in Herbes de Provence, famous world-wide, add flavor to the Beyond region. Rosemary (romarin), sage (sauge), origan (origan), marjoram (marjolaine) and savory (sarriette) are used alone or in different mixtures together to give Provençal cooking its unique taste and smell. A typical jar of Herbes de Provence lists " savory , rosemary (romarin), (serpolet), marjoram (marjolaine), origan (origan), (basilic), thyme (thym) in variable proportions".
Photo of Herbes de Provence

USES:  Summer savory is a traditional popular herb in Atlantic Canada (Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising located on the Atlantic Coast, excluding Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador) where it is used in the same way sage is elsewhere. It is the main flavoring in dressing for many fowl, mixed with ground pork and other basic ingredients to create a thick meat dressing known as cretonnade (cretonade) which may be eaten with turkey, goose and duck. 
It also is used to make stews such as fricot (a traditional Acadian (French) dish.  The word fricot has its origins in 18th century France where it was used to mean a feast.  The following century, it had evolved to mean "meat stew", and later still it became used to refer to prepared food).
The main ingredients of fricot consist of potatoes, onions and whatever meat, and whatever meat was available, cooked in a stew and topped with dumplings. The common meats used were chicken, clams, rabbit, beef or pork and in meat pies. It is usually available year-round in local grocery stores in dried form and is used in varying proportions, sometimes added to recipes in large generous heaping spoonfuls (such as in cretonnade), and sometimes more subtly (as in beans, for which savory has a natural affinity). 
Summer savory is a characteristic ingredient of herbes de Provence, a fairly standard mixture of dried herbs sold in most US and Canadian stores which specialise in French foods. It is also widely used as a seasoning for grilled meats and barbecues, as well as in stews and sauces.
Summer savory is preferred over winter savory for use in sausages because of its sweeter, more delicate aroma. It plays an important role in  Bulgarian cuisine, STUFFED CABBAGE providing a strong flavor to a variety of dishes. Instead of salt and pepper, a Bulgarian table will have three condiments: salt, paprika and savory. When these are mixed it is called sharena sol (шарена сол 'colorful salt').


Summer savory is used in Romanian cuisine, especially in sarmale (stuffed cabbage or grape leaf rolls).

No comments:

Post a Comment