CULINARY HERBS THAT ARE LEAVES

Leaves from hundreds of plant species have been used at some time as culinary herbs, i.e., something that imparts interesting flavor to a food dish. The flavors are created by the occurrence of particular secondary plant compounds, especially monoterpenes, which are aromatic, and others with sulfur-containing chemicals in relatively high concentrations. Original users did not realize that some may also provide small amounts of vitamins, as well as flavor. Some culinary herbs also were incorporated into folk medicine. In European cooking, the most important leaf culinary herbs were obtained from a very few plant families, in particular the mints (Lamiaceae) and the carrot family (Apiaceae, formerly Umbelliferae).

Mint Family (Lamiaceae, formerly Labiatae)

Other families

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