10 tips on using fresh herbs

Basil is pronounced the same way as John Cleese’s character in Fawlty Towers, and not ‘bayzil’ unless you’re American. This fragrant herb blends in divinely with a host of both savoury and sweet ingredients – including tomatoes, white fish, sheep’s cheese and even strawberries. Tomato sauce is lost without the inclusion of basil, but take heed - chucking it into the saucepan too early will make the herb lose its typical flavours. Like all other soft herbs, basil should be either eaten raw or chucked into hot food towards the end of the cooking process. As per Mediterranean tradition, Maltese women courted knights and other hunks by placing a basil pot on their window sill.  

Mint grows easily and spreads fast, hence its prolific presence on supermarket shelves – resulting in its culinary rape and over-usage. In Malta, mint is often perceived as highly harmonious with fish, but is it really? There are of course rare exceptions, but when God created mint, he meant it as an accompaniment to chocolate, rum-based cocktails and sundried tomatoes. Mint is traditionally consumed raw in the Mediterranean – such as in our cherished Hobz biz-zejt. In England, the herb is sometimes cooked to prepare mint sauce to accompany stewed lamb. Mint is indigenous to the Mediterranean.

Thyme is a hard herb, so it needs to be cooked hard. Use it to flavour lamb and pork stews, braised rabbit or to decorate cribs. Beware of overpowering. When using thyme in a slow stew, tie up the bunch to a string so you can remove it easily once you’re satisfied with the flavour. Rabbit can take loads of thyme. Some artisan rabbit breeders will even put the bunnies on a diet of thyme a week prior to slaughter. No, it’s not cruel. It’s a treat. Thyme represented courage in antiquity. In ancient Rome, it was customary for women to give their husbands a bunch of thyme before they went to war. Thyme is also an excellent source of iron and is a natural antiseptic.

Marjoram is associated with happiness. Use it with tuna and you’ll understand why. This Mediterranean herb is often confused with oregano due to their uncanny visual and aromatic resemblance. Marjoram is in fact a wild variant of oregano. The two have different flavours though, and they are seldom inter-changeable – so keep your oregano for Pizza Margherita and your marjoram for fish. Or bigilla.

Sage is magical. The Romans deemed it sacred; in the Middle Ages the Arabs believed it could lead to immortality; and 14th century Christians used it against witchcraft. But beyond customs of antiquity and superstition, fairly recent pharmacological studies seem to promote the idea that the herb contains properties aiding memory enhancement. Sage is also very high in anti-oxidants – so much that it was used to preserve meats in the pre-refrigeration era. It marries wonderfully with pork, or with butter sauce for ravioli.

Bay leaves are very rock and roll. Greek oracle Pythia inhaled the smoke of burning laurel leaves to induce her trances and visions. Alas, it does not seem to work on us common mortals. Bay leaves were also considered to be a symbol of honour – hence Julius Caesar’s famous laurel crown. In the Elizabethan era it was customary to place a bay leaf under the pillow to induce dreams about a future spouse. Ironically, it was also believed that copious amounts of bay leaves could induce abortions. Nowadays we know that it helps relieve headaches and colic, besides it being a mildly effective anti-fungal and a natural insecticide. We also know that the inclusion of bay leaves is mandatory when stewing with red wine – particularly when it comes to snails and horse meat. Add some nutmeg for the latter.

Parsley comes for free, so it is taken for granted. It is what many cooks resort to when they do not want to go into the trouble of choosing a more suitable alternative. The herb has become the standard garnish on every restaurant plate, and it deserves better. Fresh and crunchy parsley leaves are magical when mixed into refrigerated octopus and raw garlic. Parsley and mushrooms are heavenly, we all know that. Sea-urchins have a tendency to snub most ingredients known to man, but they welcome parsley with open arms. Some traditional English sauces require the cooking of parsley, which brings out an interesting facet of a herb that is generally eaten raw. Parsley is said to be chemo-protective and it contains properties that neutralize carcinogens. It is rich in Vitamin C and is a good source of Vitamin B. It is said to be healthy for the heart. Treat it fairly.

Coriander also goes by the name of cilantro in other parts of the world and is closely related to carrots and parsley. Its seed is responsible for the distinct Maltese sausage flavour, and its leaves boost up the taste of veal bragioli filling. Lovely as a garnish on pan-seared tuna, as on a nice rack of lamb. The Chinese used it in love potions and those who believe in the myth of aphrodisiac foods hold this herb in very high regard. Coriander is known to reduce anxiety, and the Iranians used it to treat insomnia.

Rosemary is not just healthy but gorgeous. The fragrance is to die for. Even if its effects on digestion, the immune system and circulation were unhealthy (au contraire) – excluding rosemary from pork or roast potatoes would be a hard feat. Believing it enhanced memory, ancient Greek students placed rosemary leaves in their hair while preparing for exams. In other cultures mourners placed rosemary in graves as a symbol of remembrance.

Fennel is as closely related to anise as it is to parsley, coriander and carrots, but the resemblance in taste to anise is very significant. Use the bulb to make soup – just add red onions and fresh vegetable stock, boil and blend. That’s fibre-fest. Reserve the leaves to flavour roast potatoes – the Maltese way.

David Darmanin is chef-owner of traditional Maltese restaurant Taverna Sugu in Vittoriosa.