Lovage (Levisticum officinale)

Article Tools

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

A salad herb in medieval times, lovage still makes an excellent addition to any green salad. One large leaflet chopped up in each serving of salad is plenty, as the flavor is quite strong. The broad leaves make an attractive garnish for any dish.

In the eighteenth century, the seeds and stems were candied like angelica and the seeds used to make a cordial. Dried lovage seeds are similar to caraway seeds, and can also be used in bread. Queen Victoria liked to carry candied lovage seeds in pockets she had sewn into the hems of her dresses to hold tidbits to satisfy her sweet tooth between meals. We find them an acquired taste, however.

More Ways to Use Lovage

• Rub the salad bowl with fresh lovage.

• Make a lovage bouquet garni: Tie into a muslin bag 1 tablespoon chopped lovage, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon savory, 6 whole peppercorns, and a bay leaf.

• Use the hollow stems as drinking straws.

• Grate the roots of mature plants and add to salad dressing.

• Make a skin cleanser with 1 cup chopped lovage leaves, 3/4 cup white wine vinegar, and 11/2 cups distilled water. Steep the mixture overnight and strain.

• For a relaxing bath, pour 1 quart of boiling distilled water over 1 cup lovage leaves, 1/2 cup lovage root, 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, and 1 ­tablespoon eucalyptus leaves. Let steep until liquid is just warm, then strain and add to bath water.

• Dry flower stalks to use in wreaths and flower arrangements or as brushes for basting meat on the grill.

Lovage recently has been celebrated on the stages of London and New York. In Peter Shaffer’s play Lettice and Lovage, the heroine drinks a medieval-style “quaff” of one part mead, one part lovage, and a large part vodka to celebrate the beauty of the past. The ingredients were well chosen. Celery may have pushed lovage out of the garden for a while, but as more people discover its appealing qualities and more herb nurseries carry lovage plants, this extremely pleasing and useful herb is enjoying a well-deserved renaissance.

Linda Underhill is a freelance food writer in ­Alfred, New York. Her partner, Jeanne Nakjavani, is a gourmet cook and food developer in Bradford, Pennsylvania.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print