A to Z of French Herbs - Chervil

Chervil

Continuing the A to Z of French herbs, today's herb is the cousin to parsley. To be honest, I'd never heard about it before I moved to France, Chervil.

Chervil is pronounced Cher like the singer and ville like the French word for town. But in French, it's called Cerfeuil.

Chervil is often called French parsley or garden chervil. It’s an annual herb related to the parsley family. It used to be called Myrhis as its oil had an aroma similar to the resin from Myrrh which is extracted from a tiny thorny tree that’s used for perfume and incense amongst other things.

Back to chervil though, it’s commonly used as a seasoning for various French dishes and most notably used in the popular herb mixture fine herbes.

The name chervil is Anglo-Norman from Latin and is derived from the Greek chaerophyllon, meaning the herb of rejoicing or, less reverentially, the happy herb.

Chervil has been cultivated for thousands of years and has been used in both culinary and medicinal applications. The ancient Greeks believed that chervil had healing properties, and it was often used to treat various ailments. The Romans also used chervil in their cooking and believed that it had aphrodisiac properties.

Fine Herbes

During the Middle Ages Chervil was used for medicinal purposes as a digestive aid, for lowering high blood pressure and it has even been infused with vinegar to cure hiccups. The eating of chervil was encouraged because it inspired cheerfulness and gave you sharp wits.

Chervil is a member of the Apiaceae family and was spread by the Romans through most of Europe where it now crows naturally over most of Europe. Now the plants even grow in North America although I don’t think the Romans are responsible for that.

In cooking chervil is used, particularly in France to add flavor and season many dishes like soups and sauces, and goes well with poultry, seafood, and spring vegetables. Chervil is said to be more delicate than parsley and has a faint taste of licorice or aniseed.

As one of the four traditional French fines herbes the other herbs that are the other parts are tarragon, chives, and parsley. Fines herbes are considered an essential ingredient in French cooking. Unlike herbs such as thyme and rosemary which can take more time to release flavor to a dish, the fine herbes are added at the last minute to salads, omelets, and soups to add a subtle delicate flavor.

Chervil Herb Butter

If you are looking to grow chervil yourself it prefers a cool and moist location otherwise it will rapidly go to seed which in gardening terms is bolting apparently. Chervil is often grown as a cool season crop like lettuce and should be planted in a winter greenhouse in late fall or early spring in the garden.

Many gardeners actually plant chervil for its ascetically pleasing look in the garden not just for it delicious taste. Chervil is often described as the prettiest of herbs to plant in your garden.

One of the less attractive features of the chervil plant when it’s growing in your garden is that it’s thought that the chervil plant attracts slugs so often it’s planted away from other plants in the vegetable patch to attract and bait them. But if you’re going to do that you want to make sure the slugs don’t get all of this delicious herb and that there’s some left for you. Oh and make sure you wash them properly as well, no one needs that extra protein.

One of my favorite things to make with chervil is chervil butter. In a food processor, I add a handful or small bunch of chervil into the processor with some unsalted butter, sea salt, black pepper, and a little lemon juice. Blitz until well combined then place in some plastic wrap and roll into a log shape. Place in the freezer until needed and then slice a half-a-centimetre piece to place on fish, steak, or lobster.

Nicholas Culpeper

Going into a French supermarket can be an exciting experience, especially for foodies looking to try new ingredients or recreate classic French dishes. While chervil can be purchased as a dried herb, it's important to note that the dried version may not be the best choice. You may find that the herb has little taste compared to its fresh counterpart. This is because the drying process can cause some of the herb's essential oils and flavors to dissipate, resulting in a milder taste.

While dried chervil may have a longer shelf life and be more convenient to use, it is not worth sacrificing the flavor and aroma that fresh chervil can bring to your dishes. Therefore, it's recommended to purchase fresh chervil whenever possible, especially if you want to enjoy the herb's full flavor and aroma in your culinary creations.

This was the topic on Fabulously Delicious: The French Food Podcast and you can listen to the full episode via Spotify or Apple Podcasts on the links below or wherever you listen to podcasts.