A to Z of French Herbs - Chives
Chives in the wild
Chives in French are spelled Ciboulette and are also known as Cive. Their scientific name is Allium schoenoprasum and are a species of flowering plant in the Amaryllidaceae family which are a group of perennial bulbous plants that interestingly are bisexual apparently, how a plant is bisexual I have no idea but hey each to their own. You go chives!
Chive in English derives from the French word Cive from ceps the Latin word for onion. In the middle ages, the chive was known as a rush leek. in 80 A.D. by Marcus Valerius Martialis in his "Epigrams". “He who bears chives on his breath, Is safe from being kissed to death”.
The Romans believed chives could relieve the pain from sunburn and even a sore throat. They believed eating chives could decrease blood pressure and act as a diuretic. Dutch farmers in the 19th century fed their cattle chives to give the milk a different taste and Romanians used chives in fortune telling and hanging dried chives around the house to ward off disease and evil.
Finely Chopped Chives
Chives are native to areas of Europe areas with a temperate climate as well as Asia and North America. The chive plant is a close relation to onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, scallions, and Chinese onions. They are rich in vitamins A and C as well.
These delicious herbs are a culinary best friend to many things with their light subtle flavor, the stems can be finely diced and sprinkled over a dish to finish it off and the flowers can be sprinkled over a salad.
Chives are one of the fine herbs of French cuisine along with tarragon, chervil, and parsley. They can be found all year round usually at markets in France.
Chive blossoms have an onion-like flavor that is more delicate than the stalks. One of my favorite things to make with the flowers is chive blossom vinegar which is the perfect thing to add to a salad dressing or add to a sauce bearnaise or hollandaise.
Fresh chives should be wrapped in paper towels and stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper for up to three days. Chives can also be frozen to extend their lifetime by snap-freezing them on a baking tray in the freezer before storing them in an airtight freezer-proof bag.
Chive Flowers
Common chives are probably the most common chives you will see for sale but often you might also come across garlic chives or Chinese chives as they are also called. With white slightly larger flowers and a more mild garlic flavor. There are also Hooker chives which are named after botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker who was the best friend of Charles Darwin.
In the garden chives are known for their insect-repelling properties, due to the sulfur compounds and are often used in gardens to control pests. On the flip side to that thought the plant/flowers provide nectar for pollinators so you also see lots of bees around them. Their flowers are pale purple and star-shaped with six petals and are really fabulous dried.
Chives are great planted in a pot and don’t need a lot of watering so is an ideal plant to look after. You can after say three years then start to divide the plant into other pots and give it to friends and family as gifts. The plant will self-seed and continue to grow.
They are great companion plants for tomatoes and carrots. If you plant them near fruit trees they will protect them from powdery mildew. They also protect veggies and roses from aphids and black spot disease. But they don’t get along with garlic, cabbage, shallots, onion, chili, and pepper. Oh well you can’t get along with everyone, can you?
Chives Mairie
When cultivating the plant thought remember that only the stem and flowers should be eaten. The bulb is not edible and is actually toxic to some animals including cats and horses. So stay clear of the bulbs.
On my way to Cognac a few months ago I found about a bit over an hour and a half from me here in Montmorillon the town of Chives. Chives has the river Naudin passing through it.
Chives has a population now of 311 people but at its height in 1831, its population was over 1100 people. Most of its current inhabitants as of the 2018 census are aged between 60-74 years old. It’s a cute French town within a wonderful agricultural area.
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 above or wherever you listen to podcasts.