the.com/herb
a plant promoted to flavor royalty for being deliciously, deliberately bossy about your dinner.
means A plant—or its leaves, seeds, or stems—valued for seasoning food, scenting, or healing, typically one with soft, non-woody growth.
from From Old French 'erbe,' descended from Latin 'herba,' meaning grass, green growth, or any leafy plant. The silent 'h' is a fossil of that Latin spelling, restored on the page even though the French had long stopped pronouncing it—which is why Americans still say 'erb' while the British put the breath back in. The Latin 'herba' itself has no certain deeper ancestry; it simply meant 'the green stuff growing,' before humans started picking favorites for the dinner plate.
- botany note
- technically just leaves with good publicity
- basil family
- a cousin of mint and oregano
- silent debate
- the H divides nations bitterly
- ancient currency
- once traded like gold and medicine
- survival trait
- strong smell evolved to repel hungry insects
basil — most common culinary herb, used in 99% of italian pesto recipes
thyme — native to mediterranean, used in french herbes de provence blends since medieval times
rosemary — woody perennial herb from mediterranean, essential in italian and spanish cooking
oregano — dried herb that dominates greek and mexican cuisines, accounts for 40% of mediterranean herb usage