Hyssop

The much unknown herb hyssop tastes not only as exotic as its name sounds - spicy and slightly bitter. It provides a refreshing nuance in both savory and sweet. Hyssop goes well with intense meat and fish dishes, soups, stews and salads. But it also gives fruit preparations and desserts such as compotes or fruit salads a refreshing aroma. It can also be used to flavor drinks…

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Botany
Ingredients, smell and taste
Use and preparation

Botany

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) is a perennial subshrub that grows up to 60 centimeters high. It comes from the mint family (Lamiaceae) and has white, pink or blue flowers depending on the variety. Its narrow, lanceolate leaves are between one and 3.5 centimeters long and up to six millimeters wide. The vernacular also calls hyssop Josefskraut.

Note Hyssop is a rather undemanding plant and loves sunny locations.

Ingredients, smell and taste

Hyssop has a slightly bitter, camphor-like taste with light mint tones. Depending on the type, the essential oil is composed differently; Cultivated varieties contain, among other things, (iso-) pinocamphone, β-pinene and limonene.

Use and preparation

Fresh and dried leaves and young shoot tips are used for seasoning. However, due to the intense aroma, hyssop should be used sparingly. Its decorative flowers are eye-catching and can also be eaten in salads, for example. The flowers taste less intense than leaves and shoot tips.

Hyssop goes well with intense meat and fish dishes, soups, stews and salads. But it also gives fruit preparations and desserts such as compotes or fruit salads that certain something. Hyssop can also be drunk as a tea in small quantities. The refreshing hyssop is also used to flavor drinks and herbal teas.

Note Hyssop should not be cooked as it quickly loses its aroma.