A to Z of French Herbs - Lovage - Livèche
Lovage
Lovage or Livèche as it is pronounced in French is a perennial plant that is part of the apiaceae or parsley family which includes parsley, dill and carrot.
Lovage has been cultivated in Europe for centuries with its leaves as a herb, roots as a vegetable and seeds as a spice.
The flavour of Lovage is similar to that of celery and parsley but more intense and some would say spicier.
It’s a tall herbaceous plant that can grow as large as 8ft tall or 2 and a half meters. It has shinny green leaves that go to yellow-green then it has yellow to greenish yellow flowers that flower in late spring. Its fruit matures in autumn.
Levisticum officinale is Lovages botanical name. It’s native to Afghanistan and Iran and was introduced to Europe and is now found in South East Asia and North and South America. Around the world there is also Sea Lovage, Scottish Lovage and Black Lovage and some places around the world call Lovage, Alexanders. It is also known as lavas, perpetual celery, bastard celery, mountain celery, mountain Angelica and Maggi grass.
Queen Victoria a lover of Lovage Lollies
Lovage the name comes from love-ache which is the medieval name for parsley and comes from the French levesche which comes from Latin levisticum. In the past it was also referred to as preachers collar because it was mostly planted and cultivated in monasteries and rectories.
Said to have medicinal properties the Romans bought it with them on their conquests of Europe and Britain. In fact it is mentioned in the Apicius an ancient Roman cookbook frequently. Charlemagne declared that it should be grown in every imperial garden.
The Greeks would chew Lovage to aid digestion and they also thought that it would relieve flatulence. More recently Queen Victoria loved it so much that she use to carry candies made from Lovage with her at all times. Apprently she even requested that pockets be sewn into her outfits to house the candies.
Lovage contains vitamin C and a range of B complex vitamins as well as calcium, potassium and magnesium. It also has properties that are anti inflammatory and antioxidant. Some studies have proven it has the potential to lower blood pressure and boost the immune system.
Lovage can be found in Herbs de Provence mixes
It does have diuretic properties and so is advised that pregnant women and people with renal insufficiencies shouldn’t eat it.
Culinary uses for the leaves are in salads, soups and broths as well. Where as the roots can be eaten like other root vegetables and also raw in salads.
Many different countries use Lovage in cooking. In the Netherlands they are traditionally cooked with white asparagus and served with boiled eggs. Romanians use it to season broths and there is an alcoholic lovage cordial in the UK that is added to brandy in the winter, this is especially popular in Cornwall.
In French cuisine lovage has been used as a confectionery ingredient and was used to flavour preserves and also added to spice subtly soups. Often then French will cook Lovage like they would celery.
Sometimes depending on the manufacturer the dried variety can be added to the mixture we know and have covered on a previous episode of the A to Z of French herbs, Herbs de Provence.
Throughout the 20th century the decline of use of Lovage was so prominent that it was even classified as a forgotten vegetable. But it is now having a resurgence due to its use from some of the great chefs of France and around the world.
In the Ukraine they consider it an aphrodisiac and are used to rinse hair, in-fact some hair conditioners add it to strengthen the hair.
A little over a decade ago, the famous British chef, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall said of lovage that.
“When you’ve tasted this intriguing herb in the likes of this soup with lettuce, pea and cucumber, it’s hard to work out why it isn’t more popular … The flavour is like parsley and celery combined with a hint of aniseed and curry. And if you think that sounds intriguing, you’d be right. So why aren’t we all using it by the handful, and why is it virtually impossible to buy? And why doesn’t it have a place in every veg plot? Mysterious questions to which there is no answer, except perhaps a shrug and, “Luck of the draw, I guess.””