ROSEMARY

Description

Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, is from the Lamiaceae family (mint family) and is closely related to basil, hyssop, lavender, marjoram, mint, oregano, sage, savory and thyme. Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean region. Due to its strong aroma, it is often used in small amounts.

Rosemary is a very difficult herb to buy online, as it can be hard to determine what type of "cut" a spice company is selling. The three most common are whole, cracked and ground. It's certainly easy enough to understand ground rosemary, but where it gets a bit trickier is whole needles vs cracked. Whole needles are often difficult to work with and can get caught in your teeth. Whole rosemary is an approximately 1" long needle like leaf that is best used in longer cooking processes such as goulashes or stews. For shorter cook times, or for using in blends, we prefer to use a cracked rosemary needle. This rosemary is considered cracked rosemary leaves.

Rosemary has .5% to 2.5% volatile oil content, primarily 1,8 cineol (which is responsible for it's cool eucalyptus aroma), α-pinene, camphor, borneol and bornyl acetate.

Rosemary is also called ikleel aljabal (Arabic), mi tieh hsiang (Mandarin), rosmarin (French), rosmarein (German), rusmary (Hindi), rosmarino (Italian), mannenro (Japanese), alecrim (Portuguese), rozmarin (Russian) and romero or rosmario (Spanish).

History of Rosemary

Rosemary in Latin is ‘rosmarinus’ derived from ‘ros’ meaning "dew" and ‘marinus’ meaning "belonging to the sea". Rosemary grows at lower elevations and often near the coast, where it is unaffected by the mist of sea water. It’s speculated by Etymologists that the naming has nothing to do with its growing habitat, but to the flowers of plant that are sea blue in color. Other Etymologists believe that it is derived from the Greek word “rhops”, meaning "shrub" and “myron”, meaning "balm", which may have been used to describe this aromatic plant.

References to rosemary were found in Cuneiform writing dating back to around 3200 BC. This form of writing used reed or grass as the writing instrument and clay or stone tablets as the writing medium. Cuneiform is a system of writing initially developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia (roughly corresponding to most of modern day Iraq, Kuwait, the eastern parts of Syria, Southeastern Turkey, and regions along the Turkish-Syrian and Iran–Iraq borders).

Pliny the Elder, Dioscorides and Galen all wrote of rosemary. Dioscorides was a Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist who practiced in Rome during the time of Nero (Roman Emperor from 54 to 68 AD). Dioscorides is best known as the author of De Materia Medica in the first century AD. His extensive volume of herbal medicinal books formed the core of the European pharmacopoeia for more than 1,500 years making it one of the longest lasting of all natural history books. Dioscorides recommended rosemary for its "warming faculty".

Rosemary was known as rosmarinus until the Middle Ages when it became referred to as Rosa Maria in honor of Mary mother of Jesus. This was from the legend that said that the plant’s flowers were originally white but changed to blue when the Virgin Mary hung her cloak on a bush while fleeing from Herod’s soldiers with the young Christ. The shrub became known as the "Rose of Mary".

Nicholas Culpepper (1616-1654) was an English botanist, herbalist and physician, who spent the greater part of his life cataloging hundreds of medicinal herbs. His two great works were "The English Physician" (1652) and the "Complete Herbal" (1653) greatly contributed to our knowledge of the pharmacological benefits of herbs. He essentially transformed traditional medical knowledge and methods through his continuous quest for more natural herbal solutions for treating poor health.

Among the attributes he credited to rosemary -- "the (rosemary) water is an admirable cure-all remedy of all kinds of colds, loss of memory, headache and coma. It receives and preserves natural heat, restores body function and capabilities, even at late age.  There are not that many remedies producing that many good effects."

Eventually, rosemary found its way into the kitchen and became a preferred flavoring for meats.  In the 13th century, it became a favorite herb in Spanish cuisine and traveled to the New World with many of their expeditions.

Rosemary Cultivation

The three fundamentals for successfully growing rosemary are: sun, good drainage and good air circulation. In frost free areas, rosemary is grown as an annual. The plant does best in sandy, well draining soil with 6-8 hours of full sunlight. Rosemary is a half-hardy perennial that's an evergreen in Zones 8 through 10.

Rosemary grows in shrubby clumps of branching stems covered with wonderfully fragrant, needle like, green leaves. Plants can reach 5’ to 6’ tall when grown outdoors, while container plants only reach 1’ to 3’ in height. 

Cooking with Rosemary

Rosemary has a distinctive, strong flavor that persuades the palate that herbs aren’t just dainty things only meant for garnishing delicate soups or gently sprinkling on baby vegetables. 

Rosemary can be used as a sophisticated accent with just a pinch or two providing a subtle flavor to perk up a mundane sauce or pastry. Its flavor works exceptionally well with beef, chicken, fish, lamb, pork, veal and wild game. 

Rosemary is found in recipes for breads, cream cheese, cream sauces, herb vinaigrettes, marinades, sauces, salad dressings, soups (especially eggplant and potato), stews and sauces.

Rosemary enhances apples, cheese, eggs, lentils, mushrooms, onions, oranges, peas, potatoes, spinach, squash and tomatoes.  

Works well in combination with bay leaves, chervil, chives, garlic, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme.

Crush or mince the rosemary leaves (or needles) before sprinkling over or rubbing into foods. 

Unlike many seasonings, rosemary doesn't lose any of its potent flavor or aroma during cooking, so it can be added early in the process.

What Does Rosemary Taste Like

Rosemary’s taste is a bit cooling, woody, minty, and somewhat balsamic, with a strong aroma. It is also warm and a little peppery.

Fresh vs. Dried Rosemary

Some herbs are better dried and others are better fresh. Herbs that are better dried than fresh include oregano, rosemary and thyme. Other herbs when dried lose some or most of their flavor -- especially basil, cilantro, curry leaves, dill weed, lemongrass and tarragon. These herbs are more commonly used fresh.

Rosemary Substitutions and Conversions

For fresh rosemary substitute 1/4 tsp dried rosemary for each tsp fresh required or equal amounts of oregano or basil. For dried rosemary substitute dried savory, tarragon, or thyme.

Common Questions About Rosemary

Can Rosemary be drunk as a tea?
Rosemary has been consumed as a tea for thousands of years. Also works well when combined with mint or lemongrass.

Ideal tea brewing temperature is 212ºF. Brew for 5-10 minutes.

Flavor, Infusion, Caffeine and Yield
Significant piney overtones with slight hints of lemon and mint.

The tea liquor is bright and pale. 

No caffeine. Low in antioxidants.  

1 oz makes 12 cups of tea. This is for one infusion and we’ve had success with 2-3 infusions.

Is Rosemary good for memory? While rosemary has been purported in folk medicine to aid in improving memory for thousands of years there is no conclusive scientific research that supports these claims. There has been some positive effects reported from one study with older adults (median age 75) but the final conclusion was that more research is needed.