Kräuter Toskana Italien Wachholder für die Küche

Italian herbs of the Mediterranean

Italian Mediter­ra­nean herbs are the linch­pin in the prepa­ra­tion of local special­ties in Tuscany. Indeed, Tuscan cuisine is close to nature and stron­gly bound to its own terra. Because, tradi­tio­nally people eat what grows on their own land. The focus is on cooking the best, healt­hiest raw materi­als that are not tampe­red with much. However, then it comes to Mamma’s real piece of art: Through the skilful use of Italian herbs, she exalts the proper­ties of the raw materi­als. She selects the appro­priate Mediter­ra­nean herbs. Further­more, with her experience she knows the correct dosage and the best time when to add. As a result, the palate will enjoy a verita­ble explo­sion of taste. This is how, Mamma, as any other Italian chef, gives Tuscan dishes at our restaurant her very perso­nal signature.

Due to the strong flavour of Tuscan cuisine, the bread served as side dish does not need to be salted in Tuscany. Indeed, it should taste of durum wheat only. The rest of the flavour comes from main course such as an herb roast, a spicy salsic­cia or the unequal­led finoc­chiona.

Healing properties of Italian herbs

Herbs are highly valued in Tuscany not only for their taste, but also for their healing proper­ties. As a matter of fact, under the Tuscan sun herbs thrive perfectly. There­fore, they contain abundant ingre­di­ents. Relying on herbs for healing is deeply rooted in Tuscan culture. In the religion of their ances­tors, the Etruscans, God manifests himself in nature. Given that every­thing that heals is divine, all healing must come from nature.

Wild Italian herbs around the holiday home

In addition to the herbs we grow in the herba­rium, we also use wild herbs we collect in the fields and forests around our Agritu­rismo. For instance, there is wild fennel, wild mint, wild garlic or St. John’s wort. A typical tree of the Tuscan maquis is the Mediter­ra­nean juniper. Indeed, until a few years ago, when the works on the fields had ended, farmers went to the steep slopes of the maquis to battere la coccola: Jute nets were set out under the juniper bushes and the ripe berries were beaten down with sticks. After­wards, they were deposi­ted in sacks in agreed locati­ons, “passed on” from genera­tion to genera­tion. A juniper trader would then wander these places and load the sacks onto his donkey.

A brief Tuscan herbology

Get to know the most important herbs of Tuscany from the list below. If you are interes­ted in learning how we use them in cooking, you are warmly invited to our thema­tic dinner about Italian herbs at our restaurant. An intense taste experience awaits you, with Mamma’s very perso­nal signature.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Basilikum in der Küche

Basil is an indis­pensable ingre­di­ent in Mediter­ra­nean cuisine. It is the epitome of summer, fresh air and light food. Its partner of choice is the tomato. Fresh on tomato bruschetta, in tomato salad, in caprese with mozza­rella, in pappa al pomodoro, in sugo or on pizza. Also, basil is the protago­nist of linguine al pesto.

With so much flavour, the healing proper­ties of basil unfort­u­na­tely fall somewhat by the wayside compared to other medicinal herbs. Occasio­nally, basil is used for joint pain, arthri­tis, acne, mild diges­tive complaints and migraines.

Kräuter Toskana Italien Schnittlauch für die Küche

A classic in Italian herb garden is the chive. Its intense, someti­mes pungent flavour of onion makes it one man’s friend and another man’s enemy. For instance, we use it to spice up omelettes, or as a garnish for tomatoes and cucum­bers from our garden.

The ingre­di­ents of chives have a positive effect on the diges­tion. Further­more, they are an expec­tor­ant for coughs, an antidote against high blood pressure and have a diure­tic effect.

Kräuter Toskana Italien Fenchelkraut für die Küche

Fennel is certainly one of the most typical Italian herbs. It gives an aroma­tic, earthy and at the same time fresh taste. The wild fennel, which grows around our holiday home, has a parti­cu­larly intense aroma. Its fresh herb is cooked into many dishes. Usually, fennel flavour is also loved by those who are less fond of fennel vegeta­bles. Often, the fine fennel leaves are added to antipasti or salads. Fennel seeds are used in the famous finoc­chiona, in many spezza­tini and in ragù di carne e finoc­chi­etto.

Fennel seeds are balm for the stres­sed stomach. They help with diges­tive problems, flatu­lence, bloating, loss of appetite and diarrhoea.

Kräuter Toskana Italien Lorbeer für die Küche

Laurel in mythology

Laurel is an excel­lent spice plant with a highly interes­t­ing history, still today of social signi­fi­cance. The laurel wreath is conside­red a symbol of outstan­ding achie­ve­ment. This is due to beau Apollo, the god from Greek mytho­logy. He is the god of music, poetry and song. When Apollo once mocked the god of love Eros as a bad archer, the latter took revenge. He shot a love arrow with a golden tip at Apollo. He also shot an arrow with a leaden tip at the beautiful Daphne. The golden arrow made Apollo fall madly in love with Daphne. Daphne, on the other hand, became unrecep­tive to that love through the leaden arrow. Hence, she wanted to escape Apollo’s perse­cu­tion. So, Daphne fled to her father, the river god Peneios. She begged him to change her appearance to make Apollo’s desires cease. The father did as asked. He stiffed her limbs and trans­for­med her into a laurel tree. Apollo, left behind in lovesick­ness, hence­forth wore a laurel wreath. Early Romans adopted this symbol of divinity. Indeed, when entering the city of Rome, the victo­rious generals wore a corona trium­pha­lis, a laurel wreath. Later, Roman emper­ors embra­ced this custom, so that the laurel became a symbol of divine power and glory.

Laurel symbolism

Follo­wing this tradi­tion, laurel became an expres­sion of highest sport­ing distinc­tion. Indeed, Olympic winners are honou­red with a laurel wreath. But not only that. Famous poet and thinker Dante Alighieri was depic­ted by Botti­celli wearing a laurel wreath. And even today, a univer­sity degree in Italy is celebra­ted with a laurea. This exten­sion of the laurel to intellec­tual achie­ve­ments is interes­t­ing. For laurel is actually said to lead to trance and conscious­ness disor­ders. It is assumed, for example, that the visions of the priest­esses of the Oracle of Delphi came about through the consump­tion of laurel

Laurel as ornamental plant

Frankly speaking, the laurel tree itself is not very specta­cu­lar. Nor is it a rare plant. For the Romans of antiquity, their laurel forests north of the capital served as a fresh recrea­tion area on warm summer days. Here in Tuscany, laurel trees are an ubiqui­tous part of the local maquis. Often, laurel is grown as a hedge shrub because of its beautiful white flowers.

Laurel in cuisine

The unique taste of fresh laurel leaves has a firm place in the cuisine of Tuscany. It refines all meat dishes in umido, lends a pleasant light­ness to bacon in any prepa­ra­tion and is a perfect partner for mushrooms. It goes wonderfully in pasta sauces, whether panna-based, as in farfalle cotto e pisel­lini, or tomato-based, as in spaghetti all’a­ma­tri­ciana. On briefly grilled sword­fish or tuna steak, de-stemmed, raw-mortared laurel leaves with olive oil and lemon are delicious. Also, our cetrioli in agrodolce are pickled with laurel leaves. Further­more, in French cuisine they are part of the bouquet garni.

In natural medicine, mainly the fruits of laurel are used. They are an ointment for skin irrita­ti­ons, a antipa­ra­si­tic and an insect repel­lent. Laurel oil is used as a rubbing agent for bruises, sprains and rheuma­tic disturbances.

Kräuter Toskana Italien Zitronenstrauch für die Küche

At first sight, the lemon verbena appears incon­spi­cuous. Until you touch it. Then it spreads a cloud of refres­hing, fruity lemon fragrance. Their leaves do perfectly match with fish and white meat. However, when they are cooked, the flavour goes pretty much in the background. On the other hand, when served raw, for example chopped on desserts, they have a very strong taste. Also with ice cream, fresh straw­ber­ries and macedo­nia they go wonderfully.

Natur­opa­thy uses lemon verbena, mostly as a tea, for its soothing effect on gastro­in­testi­nal problems and nausea. They have a calming effect on nervous­ness and sleep disorders.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Majoran in der Küche

Marjo­ram is a sweet-tart, pleasantly earthy Italian herb that is often used to flavour zucchine, frittatas and omelettes. It adds an interes­t­ing flavour to pasta dishes, especi­ally in vegeta­ble sauces. It shall be added to pepero­nata as well as to panzan­ella.

The ingre­di­ents of marjo­ram have antibac­te­rial, antis­pas­mo­dic and sedative proper­ties. They are useful for diges­tive problems, diarrhoea, bloating, heada­ches and nervous restless­ness. A popular house­hold remedy in Italy is marjo­ram ointment, which is applied for colds, joint pain and to wound healing. In a steam bath, marjo­ram is used against colds and to cleanse the skin.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Menta in Küche

Mint gives every dish a fresh note. Indeed, we use it especi­ally in macedo­nia, with straw­ber­ries or in sorbets. In fresh yoghurt sauces, it is a wonderful garnish for grilled meat or zucchini panca­kes. But mint can also be used in pasta dishes, for example in culur­gio­nes, the stuffed dumplings with potatoes, pecorino and mint.

In natur­opa­thy, mint is usually adminis­te­red as pepper­mint tea, which helps against stomach aches, diges­tive complaints, gallblad­der and liver complaints, tension heada­ches and mild colds.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Oregano in der Küche

Oregano and pizza are an insepa­ra­ble couple. But oregano doesn’t fit only to pizza. Fresh oregano leaves add a special touch to rice salad, pappa al pomodoro or caprese. They exault various crostini wonderfully. Oregano spreads a typical Mediter­ra­nean herbs fragrance. Hence, it gives you this kind of holiday feeling.

The tannins and bitter substances in oregano aid diges­tion, have an antis­pas­mo­dic effect and there­fore help with stomach or intesti­nal cramps as well as flatu­lence. Oregano also stimu­la­tes the appetite and has antibac­te­rial proper­ties. Further­more, in form of tea it is much appre­cia­ted against chronic bronchitis.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Petersilie in der Küche

The Italian expres­sion „sei come il prezze­molo“ (you are like parsley) is used for people who seem to be present every­where or meddle in every­thing. Because in fact parsley is used in a wide variety of ways and suppo­sedly goes with every­thing. However, we prefer employ­ing it with modera­tion Then, parsley is an excel­lent flavour enhan­cer. Any heavy meat dish, such as spezza­tino di Cinta Senese, is given a pleasant fresh­ness if chopped parsley is added. Cooked as a bunch in minestrone or zuppa volter­rana, it adds a pleasant “green flavour”. Spaghetti alle vongole, risotto ai frutti di mare or impepp­ata di cozze are only half as delicious without fresh parsley.

Parsley is a very healthy Italian herb. It conta­ins many minerals such as iron, zinc, potas­sium and magne­sium. Also lot of vitamins A, B and C. Applied extern­ally, it helps with inflamm­a­tion or redness of the skin. This is why it is often used for insect bites.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Rosmarin in Küche

Rosemary is perhaps the most typical Italian herb used in Tuscany. Its needle-like leaves are very fragrant and have a pleasantly resinous harmony. Even at a brief touch, it spreads a scent that makes your mouth water. Due to its nice purple flowers, it is also an ornamen­tal plant. Rosemary goes well with many meat dishes from the grill, pan or oven. Patate al forno with rosemary are just gorge­ous. We capture rosemary’s essen­tial oils in rosemary salt and rosemary olive oil used for indivi­dual seasoning.

Only few herbs have such a wide range of medical proper­ties as rosemary, the King of Italian herbs. Indeed, it has analge­sic, anti-inflamm­a­tory, antis­pas­mo­dic, antibac­te­rial, relaxing and calming effects. There­fore, it is used for diges­tive problems, inflamm­a­ti­ons and rheuma­tic complaints. It is also serves in case of mental discom­forts, such as nervous restless­ness or exhaus­tion, and against migraines.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Weinraute in der Küche

Rue is perhaps the most curious Italian herb. With its aroma­tic, bitter, strong flavour, it goes well with hearty meat dishes. However, in our opinion, other herbs are prefera­ble there. A hit is rue in our homemade grappa alla ruta. We soak rue leaves soaked in grappa, which after some time turns slightly greenish and acqui­res a highly interes­t­ing balsa­mic aroma.

In the Middle Ages, rue was the remedy of choice to combat the plague. Today, rue is used with a sense of propor­tion as a blood pressure reducer, for arthri­tis, tendo­ni­tis and for relaxa­tion in cases of psycho­lo­gi­cal pressure. Fresh rue leaves are a quick and good home remedy for acute toothache.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Salbei in Küche

If rosemary is the King of Italian herbs, sage is the queen of Italian herbs. It flouris­hes beautifully purple when in flower and thrives magni­fi­cently in our climate. There­fore, it becomes very aroma­tic. The unmist­aka­ble smell and delicious taste of fresh sage leaves is at the same time intense and delicate. When prepa­ring our fagioli all’uc­ce­letto we start with harve­s­t­ing of a large bunch of sage. Ravioli achieve culinary excel­lence in a simple sage-butter sauce. Sage wonderfully rounds off the lightly crispy saltim­bocca, and in the pollo al profumo di salvia it evolves into an unpre­ten­tious protago­nist of Tuscan cuisine. When we serve the sorbetto alla salvia at the end of dinner in our restaurant, it is easy to make peace with oneself and the world.

Sage is one of the oldest known medicinal plants. During the Middle Ages, it was used as antidote against the plague, as red dysen­tery and ulcers. In modern natur­opa­thy, it is used for colds, sore throats, bronchi­tis, whooping cough and rheuma­tism. In addition, it calms mild depres­sion and nervous­ness. Finally, it is also popular as a tea, in steam bath and lozenges.

Kräuter Toskana Italien Bohnenkraut für die Küche

The small leaves of this spraw­ling plant have a very elegant and dominant flavour. In France, savory is an important compo­nent of the herb mix fines herbes and herbes de Provence. It goes well with legumes in terms of flavour, which is why we like to use it in fagioli all’uc­ce­letto or serve it with ceci.

Savory aids the diges­tion of legumes and prevents flatu­lence and cramps of stomach and intesti­nes. Savory has also proven its value as a facial steam bath for the care of fat, blemis­hed skin and in the treat­ment of inflamm­a­tory impurities.

Kräuter Toskana Italien Estragon für die Küche

The home of tarra­gon is fish. If a few tarra­gon sprigs are added to the fish, it takes on a much richer, rounded aroma. Tarra­gon also does very well in delicate sauces. It is often combi­ned to cream, butter and generally to dairy products.

The thera­peu­tic effect of tarra­gon is rather mild, which is why it is of secon­dary importance in medicine. It is occasio­nally used to purify the body, as an appetite stimu­lant, to aid diges­tion and for mild toothache.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Thymian in der Küche

Small but mighty. The fine, needle-like leaves of thyme are extre­mely tasty and have an unmist­aka­ble flavour. They go well with all hearty dishes: Spezza­tino alle olive, pasta with salsic­cia sauce, bean dishes and the tradi­tio­nal ribol­lita. Thyme adds a delicious flavour to timballo di patate, patate al forno and fritt­ata di cipolle. It is excel­lent in fresh goat’s and sheep’s cheese or simply grated on a bruschetta with a little olive oil.

Among the Italian herbs, thyme is conside­red parti­cu­larly valuable. Its spectrum of effects ranges from antibac­te­rial, antivi­ral, antifun­gal, anti-inflamm­a­tory to expec­tor­ant and analge­sic. Its many appli­ca­ti­ons include bronchi­tis, flu-like infec­tions, sinus­i­tis, coughs and colds. Further­more, it is used in case of stomach and diges­tive complaints, rheuma­tism, menstrual complaints and skin impurities.

Italian herbs of the Mediterranean

Mamma’s secret in cuisine

Italian Mediter­ra­nean herbs are the linch­pin in the prepa­ra­tion of local special­ties in Tuscany. Indeed, Tuscan cuisine is close to nature and stron­gly bound to its own terra. Because, tradi­tio­nally people eat what grows on their own land. The focus is on cooking the best, healt­hiest raw materi­als that are not tampe­red with much. However, then it comes to Mamma’s real piece of art: Through the skilful use of Italian herbs, she exalts the proper­ties of the raw materi­als. She selects the appro­priate Mediter­ra­nean herbs. Further­more, with her experience she knows the correct dosage and the best time when to add. As a result, the palate will enjoy a verita­ble explo­sion of taste. This is how, Mamma, as any other Italian chef, gives Tuscan dishes at our restaurant her very perso­nal signature.

Due to the strong flavour of Tuscan cuisine, the bread served as side dish does not need to be salted in Tuscany. Indeed, it should taste of durum wheat only. The rest of the flavour comes from main course such as an herb roast, a spicy salsic­cia or the unequal­led finoc­chiona.

Healing properties of Italian herbs

Herbs are highly valued in Tuscany not only for their taste, but also for their healing proper­ties. As a matter of fact, under the Tuscan sun herbs thrive perfectly. There­fore, they contain abundant ingre­di­ents. Relying on herbs for healing is deeply rooted in Tuscan culture. In the religion of their ances­tors, the Etruscans, God manifests himself in nature. Given that every­thing that heals is divine, all healing must come from nature.

Wild Italian herbs around the holiday home

In addition to the herbs we grow in the herba­rium, we also use wild herbs we collect in the fields and forests around our Agritu­rismo. For instance, there is wild fennel, wild mint, wild garlic or St. John’s wort. A typical tree of the Tuscan maquis is the Mediter­ra­nean juniper. Indeed, until a few years ago, when the works on the fields had ended, farmers went to the steep slopes of the maquis to battere la coccola: Jute nets were set out under the juniper bushes and the ripe berries were beaten down with sticks. After­wards, they were deposi­ted in sacks in agreed locati­ons, “passed on” from genera­tion to genera­tion. A juniper trader would then wander these places and load the sacks onto his donkey.

A brief Tuscan herbology

Get to know the most important herbs of Tuscany from the list below. If you are interes­ted in learning how we use them in cooking, you are warmly invited to our thema­tic dinner about Italian herbs at our restaurant. An intense taste experience awaits you, with Mamma’s very perso­nal signature.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Basilikum in der Küche

Basil is an indis­pensable ingre­di­ent in Mediter­ra­nean cuisine. It is the epitome of summer, fresh air and light food. Its partner of choice is the tomato. Fresh on tomato bruschetta, in tomato salad, in caprese with mozza­rella, in pappa al pomodoro, in sugo or on pizza. Also, basil is the protago­nist of linguine al pesto.

With so much flavour, the healing proper­ties of basil unfort­u­na­tely fall somewhat by the wayside compared to other medicinal herbs. Occasio­nally, basil is used for joint pain, arthri­tis, acne, mild diges­tive complaints and migraines.

Kräuter Toskana Italien Schnittlauch für die Küche

A classic in Italian herb garden is the chive. Its intense, someti­mes pungent flavour of onion makes it one man’s friend and another man’s enemy. For instance, we use it to spice up omelettes, or as a garnish for tomatoes and cucum­bers from our garden.

The ingre­di­ents of chives have a positive effect on the diges­tion. Further­more, they are an expec­tor­ant for coughs, an antidote against high blood pressure and have a diure­tic effect.

Kräuter Toskana Italien Fenchelkraut für die Küche

Fennel is certainly one of the most typical Italian herbs. It gives an aroma­tic, earthy and at the same time fresh taste. The wild fennel, which grows around our holiday home, has a parti­cu­larly intense aroma. Its fresh herb is cooked into many dishes. Usually, fennel flavour is also loved by those who are less fond of fennel vegeta­bles. Often, the fine fennel leaves are added to antipasti or salads. Fennel seeds are used in the famous finoc­chiona, in many spezza­tini and in ragù di carne e finoc­chi­etto.

Fennel seeds are balm for the stres­sed stomach. They help with diges­tive problems, flatu­lence, bloating, loss of appetite and diarrhoea.

Kräuter Toskana Italien Lorbeer für die Küche

Laurel in mythology

Laurel is an excel­lent spice plant with a highly interes­t­ing history, still today of social signi­fi­cance. The laurel wreath is conside­red a symbol of outstan­ding achie­ve­ment. This is due to beau Apollo, the god from Greek mytho­logy. He is the god of music, poetry and song. When Apollo once mocked the god of love Eros as a bad archer, the latter took revenge. He shot a love arrow with a golden tip at Apollo. He also shot an arrow with a leaden tip at the beautiful Daphne. The golden arrow made Apollo fall madly in love with Daphne. Daphne, on the other hand, became unrecep­tive to that love through the leaden arrow. Hence, she wanted to escape Apollo’s perse­cu­tion. So, Daphne fled to her father, the river god Peneios. She begged him to change her appearance to make Apollo’s desires cease. The father did as asked. He stiffed her limbs and trans­for­med her into a laurel tree. Apollo, left behind in lovesick­ness, hence­forth wore a laurel wreath. Early Romans adopted this symbol of divinity. Indeed, when entering the city of Rome, the victo­rious generals wore a corona trium­pha­lis, a laurel wreath. Later, Roman emper­ors embra­ced this custom, so that the laurel became a symbol of divine power and glory.

Laurel symbolism

Follo­wing this tradi­tion, laurel became an expres­sion of highest sport­ing distinc­tion. Indeed, Olympic winners are honou­red with a laurel wreath. But not only that. Famous poet and thinker Dante Alighieri was depic­ted by Botti­celli wearing a laurel wreath. And even today, a univer­sity degree in Italy is celebra­ted with a laurea. This exten­sion of the laurel to intellec­tual achie­ve­ments is interes­t­ing. For laurel is actually said to lead to trance and conscious­ness disor­ders. It is assumed, for example, that the visions of the priest­esses of the Oracle of Delphi came about through the consump­tion of laurel.

Laurel as ornamental plant

Frankly speaking, the laurel tree itself is not very specta­cu­lar. Nor is it a rare plant. For the Romans of antiquity, their laurel forests north of the capital served as a fresh recrea­tion area on warm summer days. Here in Tuscany, laurel trees are an ubiqui­tous part of the local maquis. Often, laurel is grown as a hedge shrub because of its beautiful white flowers.

Laurel in cuisine

The unique taste of fresh laurel leaves has a firm place in the cuisine of Tuscany. It refines all meat dishes in umido, lends a pleasant light­ness to bacon in any prepa­ra­tion and is a perfect partner for mushrooms. It goes wonderfully in pasta sauces, whether panna-based, as in farfalle cotto e pisel­lini, or tomato-based, as in spaghetti all’a­ma­tri­ciana. On briefly grilled sword­fish or tuna steak, de-stemmed, raw-mortared laurel leaves with olive oil and lemon are delicious. Also, our cetrioli in agrodolce are pickled with laurel leaves. Further­more, in French cuisine they are part of the bouquet garni.

In natural medicine, mainly the fruits of laurel are used. They are an ointment for skin irrita­ti­ons, a antipa­ra­si­tic and an insect repel­lent. Laurel oil is used as a rubbing agent for bruises, sprains and rheuma­tic disturbances.

Kräuter Toskana Italien Zitronenstrauch für die Küche

At first sight, the lemon verbena appears incon­spi­cuous. Until you touch it. Then it spreads a cloud of refres­hing, fruity lemon fragrance. Their leaves do perfectly match with fish and white meat. However, when they are cooked, the flavour goes pretty much in the background. On the other hand, when served raw, for example chopped on desserts, they have a very strong taste. Also with ice cream, fresh straw­ber­ries and macedo­nia they go wonderfully.

Natur­opa­thy uses lemon verbena, mostly as a tea, for its soothing effect on gastro­in­testi­nal problems and nausea. They have a calming effect on nervous­ness and sleep disorders.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Majoran in der Küche

Marjo­ram is a sweet-tart, pleasantly earthy Italian herb that is often used to flavour zucchine, frittatas and omelettes. It adds an interes­t­ing flavour to pasta dishes, especi­ally in vegeta­ble sauces. It shall be added to pepero­nata as well as to panzan­ella.

The ingre­di­ents of marjo­ram have antibac­te­rial, antis­pas­mo­dic and sedative proper­ties. They are useful for diges­tive problems, diarrhoea, bloating, heada­ches and nervous restless­ness. A popular house­hold remedy in Italy is marjo­ram ointment, which is applied for colds, joint pain and to wound healing. In a steam bath, marjo­ram is used against colds and to cleanse the skin.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Menta in Küche

Mint gives every dish a fresh note. Indeed, we use it especi­ally in macedo­nia, with straw­ber­ries or in sorbets. In fresh yoghurt sauces, it is a wonderful garnish for grilled meat or zucchini panca­kes. But mint can also be used in pasta dishes, for example in culur­gio­nes, the stuffed dumplings with potatoes, pecorino and mint.

In natur­opa­thy, mint is usually adminis­te­red as pepper­mint tea, which helps against stomach aches, diges­tive complaints, gallblad­der and liver complaints, tension heada­ches and mild colds.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Oregano in der Küche

Oregano and pizza are an insepa­ra­ble couple. But oregano doesn’t fit only to pizza. Fresh oregano leaves add a special touch to rice salad, pappa al pomodoro or caprese. They exault various crostini wonderfully. Oregano spreads a typical Mediter­ra­nean herbs fragrance. Hence, it gives you this kind of holiday feeling.

The tannins and bitter substances in oregano aid diges­tion, have an antis­pas­mo­dic effect and there­fore help with stomach or intesti­nal cramps as well as flatu­lence. Oregano also stimu­la­tes the appetite and has antibac­te­rial proper­ties. Further­more, in form of tea it is much appre­cia­ted against chronic bronchitis.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Petersilie in der Küche

The Italian expres­sion „sei come il prezze­molo“ (you are like parsley) is used for people who seem to be present every­where or meddle in every­thing. Because in fact parsley is used in a wide variety of ways and suppo­sedly goes with every­thing. However, we prefer employ­ing it with modera­tion Then, parsley is an excel­lent flavour enhan­cer. Any heavy meat dish, such as spezza­tino di Cinta Senese, is given a pleasant fresh­ness if chopped parsley is added. Cooked as a bunch in minestrone or zuppa volter­rana, it adds a pleasant “green flavour”. Spaghetti alle vongole, risotto ai frutti di mare or impepp­ata di cozze are only half as delicious without fresh parsley.

Parsley is a very healthy Italian herb. It conta­ins many minerals such as iron, zinc, potas­sium and magne­sium. Also lot of vitamins A, B and C. Applied extern­ally, it helps with inflamm­a­tion or redness of the skin. This is why it is often used for insect bites.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Rosmarin in Küche

Rosemary is perhaps the most typical Italian herb used in Tuscany. Its needle-like leaves are very fragrant and have a pleasantly resinous harmony. Even at a brief touch, it spreads a scent that makes your mouth water. Due to its nice purple flowers, it is also an ornamen­tal plant. Rosemary goes well with many meat dishes from the grill, pan or oven. Patate al forno with rosemary are just gorge­ous. We capture rosemary’s essen­tial oils in rosemary salt and rosemary olive oil used for indivi­dual seasoning.

Only few herbs have such a wide range of medical proper­ties as rosemary, the King of Italian herbs. Indeed, it has analge­sic, anti-inflamm­a­tory, antis­pas­mo­dic, antibac­te­rial, relaxing and calming effects. There­fore, it is used for diges­tive problems, inflamm­a­ti­ons and rheuma­tic complaints. It is also serves in case of mental discom­forts, such as nervous restless­ness or exhaus­tion, and against migraines.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Weinraute in der Küche

Rue is perhaps the most curious Italian herb. With its aroma­tic, bitter, strong flavour, it goes well with hearty meat dishes. However, in our opinion, other herbs are prefera­ble there. A hit is rue in our homemade grappa alla ruta. We soak rue leaves soaked in grappa, which after some time turns slightly greenish and acqui­res a highly interes­t­ing balsa­mic aroma.

In the Middle Ages, rue was the remedy of choice to combat the plague. Today, rue is used with a sense of propor­tion as a blood pressure reducer, for arthri­tis, tendo­ni­tis and for relaxa­tion in cases of psycho­lo­gi­cal pressure. Fresh rue leaves are a quick and good home remedy for acute toothache.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Salbei in Küche

If rosemary is the King of Italian herbs, sage is the queen of Italian herbs. It flouris­hes beautifully purple when in flower and thrives magni­fi­cently in our climate. There­fore, it becomes very aroma­tic. The unmist­aka­ble smell and delicious taste of fresh sage leaves is at the same time intense and delicate. When prepa­ring our fagioli all’uc­ce­letto we start with harve­s­t­ing of a large bunch of sage. Ravioli achieve culinary excel­lence in a simple sage-butter sauce. Sage wonderfully rounds off the lightly crispy saltim­bocca, and in the pollo al profumo di salvia it evolves into an unpre­ten­tious protago­nist of Tuscan cuisine. When we serve the sorbetto alla salvia at the end of dinner in our restaurant, it is easy to make peace with oneself and the world.

Sage is one of the oldest known medicinal plants. During the Middle Ages, it was used as antidote against the plague, as red dysen­tery and ulcers. In modern natur­opa­thy, it is used for colds, sore throats, bronchi­tis, whooping cough and rheuma­tism. In addition, it calms mild depres­sion and nervous­ness. Finally, it is also popular as a tea, in steam bath and lozenges.

Kräuter Toskana Italien Bohnenkraut für die Küche

The small leaves of this spraw­ling plant have a very elegant and dominant flavour. In France, savory is an important compo­nent of the herb mix fines herbes and herbes de Provence. It goes well with legumes in terms of flavour, which is why we like to use it in fagioli all’uc­ce­letto or serve it with ceci.

Savory aids the diges­tion of legumes and prevents flatu­lence and cramps of stomach and intesti­nes. Savory has also proven its value as a facial steam bath for the care of fat, blemis­hed skin and in the treat­ment of inflamm­a­tory impurities.

Kräuter Toskana Italien Estragon für die Küche

The home of tarra­gon is fish. If a few tarra­gon sprigs are added to the fish, it takes on a much richer, rounded aroma. Tarra­gon also does very well in delicate sauces. It is often combi­ned to cream, butter and generally to dairy products.

The thera­peu­tic effect of tarra­gon is rather mild, which is why it is of secon­dary importance in medicine. It is occasio­nally used to purify the body, as an appetite stimu­lant, to aid diges­tion and for mild toothache.

Kräuter der Toskana Italien Thymian in der Küche

Small but mighty. The fine, needle-like leaves of thyme are extre­mely tasty and have an unmist­aka­ble flavour. They go well with all hearty dishes: Spezza­tino alle olive, pasta with salsic­cia sauce, bean dishes and the tradi­tio­nal ribol­lita. Thyme adds a delicious flavour to timballo di patate, patate al forno and fritt­ata di cipolle. It is excel­lent in fresh goat’s and sheep’s cheese or simply grated on a bruschetta with a little olive oil.

Among the Italian herbs, thyme is conside­red parti­cu­larly valuable. Its spectrum of effects ranges from antibac­te­rial, antivi­ral, antifun­gal, anti-inflamm­a­tory to expec­tor­ant and analge­sic. Its many appli­ca­ti­ons include bronchi­tis, flu-like infec­tions, sinus­i­tis, coughs and colds. Further­more, it is used in case of stomach and diges­tive complaints, rheuma­tism, menstrual complaints and skin impurities.