Carlos Solis
To give dishes a refreshing pine aroma, use spices with camphor notes and coniferous scents. These herbs add a cool, forest-like freshness to meals and can evoke walks through pine woods. Common choices are rosemary, thyme, juniper, and sometimes wintergreen (Gaultheria), which are used to flavor teas and baked goods. But chefs have many more options. Herbs with piney notes that can become a distinctive accent in dishes include sage, tarragon, kaffir lime, lemongrass, and bay leaves. Which foods pair best with these herbs and spices?
Rosemary
Perhaps the best-known herb with a pine scent is rosemary, which gives a camphor-like, pungent aroma. Because of its intense “Christmas tree” fragrance and distinctive flavor, not everyone likes rosemary; some find it too sharp and overpowering. This Mediterranean herb also has contraindications: it can trigger seizures in people with epilepsy and raise blood pressure in people with hypertension.
At the same time, the plant’s strong lemon-pine aroma stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, which may not be ideal during large holiday meals, and can seem intrusive or medicinal to those used to milder herbs like dill or parsley. Use rosemary sparingly in cooking, because its intense scent can overshadow other ingredients. Rosemary pairs well with parsley, basil, bay leaves, oregano, sage, lavender, thyme, savory, and marjoram.
Rosemary is particularly suited to rich dishes and pairs especially well with fatty foods and meats. Foods that complement rosemary include game, beef, pork, lamb, rabbit, chicken, bacon, offal, mackerel, anchovies, shrimp, eggs, mushrooms, beans, sweet peppers, eggplant, garlic, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, olive oil, lemon, grapefruit, chocolate, wine, and baked goods. A particularly successful pairing is rosemary with eggplant — the vegetable absorbs the herb’s aroma beautifully and offers valuable health properties. Try making a hearty eggplant dish where rosemary can shine.
Thyme
Thyme is one of the most important herbs in European cooking, with a warm, spicy aroma and subtle pine notes. Its small leaves are easy to use because they don’t require chopping and look attractive on a plate. Thyme belongs in the French herb bundle Bouquet garni: it enhances many dishes and pairs well with a long list of ingredients. Use thyme in soups, marinades, meats, vegetables, cheeses, and mushrooms.
Thyme also appears in Creole, Cajun, and Caribbean cuisines and harmonizes with savory, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, lavender, tarragon, coriander, parsley, scallions, and bay leaves. It pairs well with chicken, lamb, pork, game, rabbit, bacon, fish, beans, lentils, potatoes, carrots, eggplant, onions, tomatoes, lemon, apple, pear, and honey. Thyme will beautifully complement hearty dishes and can add a bright note to stews and roasts.
Savory
Savory has a spicy-bitter taste and a strong aroma and is beloved in Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, and Slovenian cuisines. Use it cautiously—add small amounts and combine it with other ingredients at the end of cooking, because savory can impart bitterness if overused. Its antibacterial properties make savory useful in pickling and in spicy herring marinades.
Savory pairs well with thyme, lavender, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and sage. Foods that suit savory include cheeses, mushrooms, eggs, lentils, beans, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, beef, veal, pork, lamb, chicken, and offal.
Tarragon
Tarragon is a favorite in French and Caucasian cuisines. It’s a component of the French blend Fines herbes and is used in classic tartar sauce. Because tarragon has a very intense aroma, use it sparingly. Tarragon appears in drinks, oil-based sauces, and canning preparations.
Pluck the delicate, anise-flavored leaves from the stem just before using them, and add tarragon at the end of cooking because heat changes its flavor. Tarragon pairs well with scallions, celery, marjoram, dill, parsley, and savory. Foods that go well with tarragon include fish, seafood, cheeses, creams, eggs, chicken, mushrooms, capers, potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, garlic, mustard, paprika, lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, melon, and apple.
Sage
Sage is a Mediterranean plant with cedar, eucalyptus, lemon, and mint notes in its aroma. It has a strong, slightly bitter scent that can recall pine forests, especially when paired with meat and butter. Add sage leaves to baked dishes, marinades, meat fillings, sausages, sauces, soups, and poultry. Because sage is intensely aromatic, use it sparingly so it doesn’t overwhelm other flavors.
Sage pairs well with rosemary, marjoram, thyme, oregano, savory, parsley, and bay leaves. It complements chicken, goose, duck, turkey, veal, pork, bacon, sausages, offal, cheeses, mushrooms, walnuts, pumpkin, eggplant, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, and garlic. Sage particularly shines in vegetable-and-meat dishes. Try adding it to vegetable or meat recipes — those dishes will become even more aromatic with this Mediterranean herb.
Bay Leaves
Bay leaves are part of Bouquet garni and the spice mix Khmeli-suneli. Use bay fresh or dried: fresh leaves are less bitter and have a more refined, delicate flavor. Add fresh bay leaves at the beginning of cooking; add dried bay leaves in small amounts toward the end of cooking to avoid bitterness. For the same reason, remove bay leaves from a dish after about 15 minutes. The camphor notes in bay leaves develop during long cooking.
Bay leaves work well with juniper, sage, celery, thyme, parsley, savory, marjoram, and rosemary. Foods that pair nicely with bay include rice, potatoes, lard, pork, beef, veal, game, chicken, tuna, beans, tomatoes, garlic, black pepper, apple, and lemon.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass (lemon grass) is prized in Caribbean and Asian cuisines for its lemon-lime aroma, though it doesn’t bring acidity. Use it fresh or dried; crush the tough stalk to release its aroma and essential oils before cooking.
Add lemongrass leaves to Asian soups, and use the chopped or ground root in curries and sauces. Lemongrass pairs with mint, basil, coriander, parsley, and scallions. Foods that harmonize with lemongrass include fish, shrimp, mussels, chicken, pork, rice, noodles, creams, coconut milk, peanuts, ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, curry, chili pepper, and lime.
Juniper
Juniper berries’ pine aroma made them indispensable to gin producers. Long used medicinally, juniper also has a place in cooking. Juniper berries work well in game dishes and marinades and are used to flavor kvass, fruit drinks, and other beverages.
Juniper pairs with parsley, marjoram, oregano, cumin, rosemary, fennel, sage, thyme, black pepper, allspice, and bay leaves. Foods that go well with juniper include game, beef, veal, lamb, pork, rabbit, duck, liver, kidneys, salmon, cabbage, onions, garlic, apple, and red wine.
Cardamom
Cardamom is an incredibly aromatic, precious spice from the dried pods of a plant in the ginger family. Use it to add fresh citrus and eucalyptus notes to baked goods, desserts, meat dishes, and beverages like coffee or tea. Cardamom pods also have traditional medicinal uses and appear in Middle Eastern, Indian, and Scandinavian cuisines.
Green cardamom is most common in sweets, while black cardamom has a resinous, smoky aroma with lemon notes and is added to curries and meat dishes. Cardamom is essential in traditional German Christmas stollen, Alpine mulled wine, and in creamy steak sauces.
Herb Blends
- Bouquet garni (France): 2 sprigs of parsley, 2 bay leaves, 4 sprigs of thyme, 1 green leaf of leek.
- Fines herbes (France): tarragon, parsley, scallions, chervil (verbena or marjoram may be used).
- Herbes de Provence (France): rosemary, basil, savory, marjoram, thyme, lavender, bay leaves.
- Italian herbs: rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, granulated garlic.
- Za’atar (Arab countries): thyme, sesame, oregano, sumac, marjoram, salt.
Tips for Using Herbs
- When adding herbs at the end of cooking or to marinades, chop them finely. For roasted dishes or long cooking, use whole herbs.
- Dry herbs after washing before chopping to avoid a paste-like mass.
- To refresh wilted herbs, immerse them in ice-cold water for 5–10 minutes, then dry them.
- Because dried herbs usually have a more intense aroma, substitute dried for fresh at a ratio of 1:3 (for 3 parts fresh herbs, use 1 part dried).
- The more delicate the aroma of the main ingredient (cheese, chicken, or eggs), the milder and less fragrant the herbs should be. Conversely, the stronger the main ingredient’s scent (game, duck, or rabbit), the more pronounced the herbs’ aroma can be. Using herbs with a pine aroma requires attention to dosage, contraindications, and harmonious pairings. Experiment with different combinations to find what suits you. Spices with camphor notes can transform an ordinary dish into a culinary standout when used thoughtfully.
Which herbs have a pine aroma?
Herbs with a pine aroma include rosemary, thyme, juniper, sage, tarragon, lemongrass, and bay leaves. These plants add a refreshing camphor scent to dishes, reminiscent of walks through pine forests.
What products pair well with rosemary?
Rosemary pairs well with fatty foods and meats, including game, beef, pork, lamb, and chicken. It also complements mackerel, shrimp, mushrooms, eggplant, garlic, potatoes, and tomatoes. A particularly successful pairing is rosemary with eggplant.
Who should avoid rosemary?
People with epilepsy should avoid rosemary, since it can trigger seizures, and people with hypertension should avoid it because it can raise blood pressure. Others should avoid overusing rosemary because it stimulates the gastrointestinal tract.
What is included in Provençal herbs?
Provençal herbs (Herbes de Provence) include rosemary, basil, savory, marjoram, thyme, lavender, and bay leaves.
How to substitute fresh herbs with dried ones?
Dried herbs have a more intense aroma, so replace fresh herbs with dried at a ratio of 3:1 — for 3 parts fresh herbs, use 1 part dried.
When to add bay leaves to dishes?
Add fresh bay leaves at the beginning of cooking. Add dried bay leaves in small amounts toward the end of cooking to prevent bitterness, and remove bay leaves from the dish after about 15 minutes.
Photo: Unsplash
