Summer savory
Encyclopedia
Summer savory is the better known of the savory
species. It is an annual, but otherwise is similar in use and flavor to the perennial winter savory
. It is used more often than winter savory, as winter savory is thought to have a slightly more bitter flavor.
This herb
has lilac tubular flowers which bloom from July to September.
It grows to around 30 to 60 cm (0.984251968503937 to 2 ft) in height and has very slender, bronze-green leaves.
Summer savory is a traditional popular herb in Atlantic Canada
, 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 "cretonade", which is excellent with turkey, goose and duck. It also is used to make stews such as fricot
, 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 cretonade), 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 French food stores. 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 the sweeter, more delicate aroma. It plays an important role in Bulgarian cuisine
(the herb is called chubritsa, in Cyrllic чубрица, in Bulgarian
), providing a strong and pungent flavour to the most simple and the most extravagant 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 (colorful salt).
Summer savory is called cimbru in Romanian
and is used in Romanian cuisine
, especially in Sarmale (stuffed cabbage
or grape leaf rolls).
Summer savory is called borsikafű in Hungarian
, Bohnenkraut in German
, sarriette in French
, θρούμπι, throúbi, in Greek
, cząber ogrodowy in Polish
, , ajadrea in Spanish, and santoreggia in Italian
.
Is reported to be a helpful expectorant for lungs and head, a useful digestive aid for flatulence and colic, a general tonic and for the prevention of diarrhea. Rubbing a sprig of Summer Savory on a bee or wasp sting is said to give instant relief.
Summer Savory is raised from seeds, sown early in April, in shallow drills, 9 inches or a foot apart. Select a sunny situation and thin out the seedlings, when large enough, to 6 inches apart in the rows. It likes a rich, light soil.
The seeds may also be sown broadcast, when they must be thinned out, the thinned out seedlings being planted in another bed at 6 inches distance from each other and well watered. The seeds are very slow in germinating.
The early spring seedlings may be first topped for fresh use in June. When the plants are in flower, they may be pulled up and dried for winter use.
Savory (herb)
Satureja is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. There are about 30 species called savories, of which Summer savory and Winter savory are the most important in cultivation.-Description:...
species. It is an annual, but otherwise is similar in use and flavor to the perennial winter savory
Winter savory
Winter savory is a perennial herb in the family Lamiaceae, native to warm temperate regions of southern Europe.It is a semi-evergreen, semi-woody subshrub growing to over tall. The leaves are opposite, oval-lanceolate, 1–2 cm long and 5 mm broad...
. It is used more often than winter savory, as winter savory is thought to have a slightly more bitter flavor.
This herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
has lilac tubular flowers which bloom from July to September.
It grows to around 30 to 60 cm (0.984251968503937 to 2 ft) in height and has very slender, bronze-green leaves.
Summer savory is a traditional popular herb in Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
, where it is used in the same way sage
Common sage
Salvia officinalis is a small, perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the family Lamiaceae and is native to the Mediterranean region, though it has naturalized in many places throughout the world...
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 "cretonade", which is excellent with turkey, goose and duck. It also is used to make stews such as fricot
Fricot
Fricot is a traditional Acadian 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....
, 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 cretonade), and sometimes more subtly (as in beans, for which savory has a natural affinity). Summer savory is a characteristic ingredient of herbes de Provence
Herbes de Provence
Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried herbs typical of Provence. Formerly simply a descriptive term referring to herbs typical of Provence, in the 1970s, commercial blends started to be sold under this name....
, a fairly standard mixture of dried herbs sold in most French food stores. 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 the sweeter, more delicate aroma. It plays an important role in Bulgarian cuisine
Bulgarian cuisine
Bulgarian cuisine is a representative of the cuisine of Southeastern Europe. Essentially South Slavic, it shares characteristics with other Balkans cuisines...
(the herb is called chubritsa, in Cyrllic чубрица, in Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
), providing a strong and pungent flavour to the most simple and the most extravagant of dishes. Instead of salt and pepper, a Bulgarian table will have three condiments: salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
, paprika
Paprika
Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried fruits of Capsicum annuum . In many European languages, the word paprika refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add color and flavor to dishes. Paprika can range from mild to hot...
and savory. When these are mixed it is called sharena sol (colorful salt).
Summer savory is called cimbru in Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
and is used in Romanian cuisine
Romanian cuisine
Romanian cuisine is a diverse blend of different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character...
, especially in Sarmale (stuffed cabbage
Cabbage
Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
or grape leaf rolls).
Summer savory is called borsikafű in Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, Bohnenkraut in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, sarriette in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, θρούμπι, throúbi, in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, cząber ogrodowy in Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, , ajadrea in Spanish, and santoreggia in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
.
Is reported to be a helpful expectorant for lungs and head, a useful digestive aid for flatulence and colic, a general tonic and for the prevention of diarrhea. Rubbing a sprig of Summer Savory on a bee or wasp sting is said to give instant relief.
Summer Savory is raised from seeds, sown early in April, in shallow drills, 9 inches or a foot apart. Select a sunny situation and thin out the seedlings, when large enough, to 6 inches apart in the rows. It likes a rich, light soil.
The seeds may also be sown broadcast, when they must be thinned out, the thinned out seedlings being planted in another bed at 6 inches distance from each other and well watered. The seeds are very slow in germinating.
The early spring seedlings may be first topped for fresh use in June. When the plants are in flower, they may be pulled up and dried for winter use.