A to Z of French Herbs - Lemon Thyme - Thym Citronné
Lemon Thyme
Lemon thyme, also known as "thym citronne” in French cuisine, is a prized aromatic herb used for its unique and refreshing flavor. The narrow, green leaves of this plant emit a subtle scent of lemon and thyme, making it an essential ingredient in many French recipes.
Lemon Thyme or citrus thyme as it is also known, is pronounced thym citronné in French.
Its botanical name is Thymus Citriodorus and is part of the Lamiaceae family of plants. As the name suggests its leaves have a strong lemon scent and flavor to it.
Originally it was thought to be a hybrid or cross of plants. However recent DNA analysis has come to the conclusion that it is a distinct species of its own. It is one of hundreds of varieties of thyme within the Lamiaceae/mint family.
It’s native to the arid mountain regions of the Mediterranean including the south of France, Spain, Italy, and even in parts of Northern Africa.
English Physician Nicholas Culpepper has one of the oldest historical references to Lemon Thyme in 1798 where he wrote that lemon thyme is to be used to remove warts and ease pains in the spleen.
Lemon Thyme Shrub
It grows as an evergreen shrub that can grow to around 10 cm or 3.5 inches off the ground and spread around 300cm or 12 inches wide. To grow your own it will prefer full sun and well-drained soil. Once planted and established it requires little to no maintenance and can watered as little as once a week.
Lemon Thyme actually flowers in mid to late summer and its flowers are usually pink and lavender and are a source of nectar for bees and butterflies.
It’s grown as an ornamental, medicinal, and culinary herb in many gardens with landscapers preferring it as a ground cover or for planting in between stepping stones in gardens.
Once established lemon thyme does well in arid regions and is very drought tolerant.
Nutritionally Lemon Thyme is rich in iron as well as vitamin C, D, and B complex.
Leaves of lemon thyme are eaten raw in salads and can be used in dried form for cooking and also in herbal teas. Interestingly even though there are hundreds of varieties of thyme there are only a couple including lemon thyme that are suitable for culinary use.
Lemon Thyme Oil
In French dishes, the French will often add lemon thyme the herb instead of actual lemon as they often prefer a more subtle flavour. Especially you will find it in fish dishes and desserts.
The popular herb mixture, herbs de Provence which we covered on a previous episode of this A to Z of French herbs series can often have thyme in it replaced with lemon thyme, depending on where the mixture is produced.
It can also be used as an essential oil and is often found in aromatherapy, deodorants, perfumes, skin care and a range of cosmetics. Lemon thyme like other herbs we’ve mentioned previously is also effective as a mosquito repellent.