lovage-msg - 12/20/06 Period use of lovage. A medieval vegetable similar to celery. NOTE: See also these files: vegetables-msg, herbs-msg, herbs-cooking-msg, cabbages-msg, candy-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 09:11:12 -0400 From: Philip & Susan Troy Subject: Re: SC - Celery, was Citron and Potato) LYN M PARKINSON wrote: > Stefan, I noticed that Ann Hagen mentioned celery in her Anglo-Saxon > food. If it's that early in England, it was probably everywhere, but I'd > bet it wasn't a whole lot like our celery. Probably smaller stalks, and > a bit bitter. Making candy with it would definately improve most wild > veggies. Celery as we know it seems to have been developed more recently than the middle ages, but the wild proto-celery was probably pretty much like lovage, with thin, tough, fibrous stems, much less succulent than modern celery, and, as you suggest, stronger-tasting leaves. If you've ever seen Chinese celery, it also is pretty much like lovage. I suspect that celery may have been seen mostly as a medicinal herb, rather than as a vegetable, but then candying such an herb would be a fairly likely method of preserving it and maximizing its medicinal qualities. Many candies were developed, essentially, as pills and lozenges. Adamantius Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2000 07:39:31 -0500 From: Philip & Susan Troy Subject: Re: SC - Substitute for Lovage Glenda Robinson wrote: > I've tried to get lovage, and have been unable to get it. Does anyone know > what other herb I can substitute without the recipes turning really nasty? Chinese celery (a leafy vegetable eaten for its leaves, because while it does have stems it lacks the fleshy ribs of celery varieties such as Pascal; check an Asian market) is probably the best substitute, but ordinary celery leaves, especially the green outer ones when the produce people haven't trimmed with extreme prejudice, makes a pretty good substitute too. Failing those, in an emergency, I suppose you could use celery seed. I guess what I'm trying to say is that lovage tastes like celery... ; ) Adamantius Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 11:19:43 -0500 From: Kay Loidolt Subject: SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #1904 > From: LrdRas at aol.com > In a message dated 2/20/00 7:38:51 AM Eastern Standard Time, troy at asan.com > writes: > << I guess what I'm trying to say is that lovage tastes like > celery... ; ) >> > > Are you sure you weren't trying to say that lovage tastes 'similar' to > celery? :-) Johann responds; Yes, use celery, Lovage is thought to be the ancestral plant form which celery evolved. The difference being that L. grows quite tall and does not develop the large spatulate stalks that celery does. Lovage has a rather strong celery taste and can be quite bitter, use it sparingly. If you cannot find L. use a little extra celery seed or leaf as suggested before. BTW L. can also carry a little coriander flavor, somewhat sharp and metallic, so you may consider a combination of Celery, Coriander and Parsley to best imitate Lovage's flavor. Johann, who grows Lovage and uses it in several dishes, including a wonderful Tuna salad!! Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 18:31:33 EST From: ChannonM at aol.com Subject: SC - Re: Lovage- recipes especially candied lovage << Aha! So _that's_ the name of that plant that someone gave me two years ago! It's growing outside my window and I couldn't remember what it's name was, except that it was culinary. Haven't used any... Chicken soup, perhaps? Alys Katharine, a non-cooking cook >> Here is some work that I did on Lovage and a recipe that was passed on to me from a lady on the Apicius list, LOVAGE ( ligusticum levisticum) Lovage was used extensively in Apician recipes and provided a significant flavour to the overall taste of the foods it was used with. I have grown lovage (levisticum officianalis) in my back yard for the express purposes of my work with Roman recipes. I have since used it in different capacities. Attached is a small packet of seeds from my garden, please put them to good use. I hope the following information is valuable to anyone wishing to do so. >Do they(lovage plants) need sun, partial sun?lots of water? well drained >soil? Here is what I found: I planted the lovage from a plant that I purchased at the local nursery. That was a two years ago. It was originally planted on a West facing fence, with little or no water given other than what came itís way by nature.Last year I moved the plant and divided it (it is perennial) and planted one part on another West wall and the other a few feet away in full sun. I always supplement my soil with lots of compost and peat moss, so I canít tell if that has anything to do with it. The plant didnít flower the first year and I just cut it back in the fall and harvest and dried whatever was there. This year the plant has taken off and is probably 3-4 feet high with large umbelliferous flowers. I had no idea how big it would become, so beware it is large. Some info I dug up in my herbal books (if you donít already have one or two, it can be very helpful to understand the herb) talks about different aspects of the plant so here it is : Description: pungent, clump forming herbacaceous perennial with rhizomatous roots and stout hollow ridged stems up to 2.4 m / 8ft. Cultivation: mature plants are large and bulky and need plenty of room in deep rich moist soil, preferably in shade. Sow in spring outdoors in a seedbed or under glassp, or divide roots in autumn or spring. Cut back once or twice during summer if a continuous supply of young leaves is needed. Parts used:young leaves, avoiding the central flower stem, hollow main stems before flowering, roots of 2-3 yr old plants dug in autumn , s liced & dried, ripe seeds. Constituents: Volatile oil, isovaleric acid, angelic acid, coumarins, gum, resin Main uses: Culinary leaves in stews and soups, with fish and jam, seeds in breads and savouries. Lovage is an aromatic stimulant and a warming digestive tonic similar to angelica. Lovage cordial is an old country drink used to settle the stomach and ease the digestion. In hot infusion, lovage is sweat-inducing. It also has diuretic properties but should be avoided in kidney disease due to itís irritant effect. I also promotes the onset of menstruation. The phthalides in the volatile oil have been reported to be sedative in mice. The seeds, leaves , and stems of lovage have a strong celery like flavour, which goes well with many foods, especially vegetarian dishes based on rice or nuts. CAUTION: Lovage should not be used during prgnancy or kidney disease. The complete book of Herbs-Andi Clevely and Katherine Richmond The complete New Herbal- Richard Mabey I hope that the above information is helpful. Hauviette Here are some recipes that will definintely be!! Lovage Soup 4 Tbsp olive oil 4 slices stale bread 1 bunch of lovage leaves, chopped 1 clove garlic chopped Ω small bund of parlsey, chopped 3 oz butter 2 pints good chicken stock 2 whole eggs and 1 yolk Pour the olive oil over the bread and grill until brown. Sweat the lovage, garlic, and parsley in butter until wilted. Pour on the stockand simmer for 2 mins. Beat the eggs with the salt and pepper. Place one slice of bread in each warmed bowl. Bring the soup ot hte boil and slowly pour in the egg, stirring gently with a wooden spoon, so that it separates into strands Season to taste and serve. Alternatives; replace the lovage with basil, add 2oz of parmesan cheese to the beaten eggs. or use spinach sorrel or nettle simmered for a few extra minutes. In addition here is a recipe sent to me by Hilary, from the Apicius list for candied lovage stems. I have yet to try it but can not resist putting this in. From the Apicius at onelist.com, Hilary Cool writes; Iím not sure if candying lovage stems will be of wide interest to the rest of the list so I thought Iíd reply off list. Lovage has a section in Sophie Grigsonís Herbs published by the BBC earlier this year. (An excellent book which accompanied a cookery programme). She says the young stems ëmake a rather good, if unusual, sweetmeat, candied as you would angelicaí . she also says the addition of lovage leaves to a carrot and potato soup is a good idea, but it hasnít really been soup weather since I got the book so Iíve not tried it. Perhaps in the autumn. This is her recipe for candying angelica. Cut tender young angelica stems in 10cm lengths. Make a brine with 8g salt to each 2.3 litres water (1/4 oz to 4 pints). Bring to boil and pour over the angelica. Leave for 15 minutes, drain. Blanch the angelica in fresh boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Drain. Peel away any tough outer skins from the stems. Weigh the angelica and weigh out an equal amount of sugar. Layer the sugar and angelica in a saucepan. Cover and leave for 1.2 days until the sugar has turned to syrup. Add just enough water to cover the angelica. Bring gently to the boil and simmer quietly until the angelica is clear and the syrup reduced to a clear goo. Leave the angelica to dry on on a wire rack in an airing cupboard for a couple of days. Store in an airtight container From: "Debra Hense" To: Date: Sun, 25 May 2003 18:11:49 -0500 Subject: [Sca-cooks] Lovage I grow lovage - have for a few years. It's a very intense celery flavor. Imagine if you will, someone who has distilled the essence of celery. Very intense and somewhat more bitter. I have substituted dried celery leaves for it successfully. I've also tossed in celery seed to add some more celery flavor to a recipe calling for Lovage. I have been harvesting it these past few weeks and drying the leaves. I could ship you some next week if you would like to try it yourself. Kateryn Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 22:59:41 -0400 (EDT) From: To: Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Lovage and Rue > It has been suggested that modern cooks substitute celery leaves for > lovage leaves. Does anyone have experience using actual fresh lovage? > And if yes, can you verify this substitution? I've used actual fresh lovage. If there is any way you can get fresh lovage, do so. It's got a very different taste than celery. (Where are you getting lovage seeds? My mom killed the lovage I left in her yard, I need a new one!) If you are going to substitute, you might try 1 part of cilantro to 2 parts celery. But I don't recommend it. > Rue Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Lovage vs Angelica?? To: Cooks within the SCA --- Elise Fleming wrote: > Greetings. In an article about lovage, the > editor equates it with > angelica and writes "Remember, angelica is > lovage." The dictionary > says that lovage is an apiaceous herb, > "Levisticum officinale" and > that angelica is an umbelliferous plant of the > genus Angelica, esp. > A. Archangelica". Therefore, these two can't > be the same, can they? > Do the two look alike? Taste alike? > > Alys Katharine They don't look alike from the pictures I have seen. The only relationship I can see is a common use as a substitute for celery. The Oxford Companion to Food says of Lovage: Lovage: Levisticum officinale, an umbelliferous plant that grows in S. Europe and as far north as England. It resembles wild celery in appearance, and was formerly used in the same way, but is milder and sweeter with a distictively warm, spicy fragrance. Lovage was popular as a flavouring herb in classical times, and is often mentioned in Apicius. The Romans called it ligusticum because it grew abundantly in Liguria. The altered form of levisticum, common in late Latin, was the origin of the English and other modern names, and was later adopted as the botanical name. The hardier and coarser-flavoured plant which is sometimes called 'Scotch' or 'black' lovage, but whose correct name is Alexanders, was given Ligusticum as its generic name (but has since lost it in favour of Smyrnium). Lovage continued to be grown in medieval kitchen gardens. The leaves were used as a flavouring and to make a cordial; the stems were cooked like celery; and the roots were made into a sweetmeat. The suggestion of 'love' in the name is also seen in German; the plant had a reputation as a love potion. The eclipse of wild celery by the cultivated type also led to the decline in the use of lovage, which is now little known anywhere. This is a pity, because the flavour is distinctive and, used with discretion, very good in soups, salads, and meat dishes alike. The Oxford Companion to Food says of angelica: Angelica: the name for a group of tall unbelliferous plants with thick stems, in the genus Angelica. Of the many species growing in the most temperate regions of the world, the most famous and useful, growing in Europe, is Angelica Archangelica. Parkinson (1629) observed that all Christian nations call this plant by names signifying its angelic associations, and "likewise in their appellations hereof follow the Latine names as near as their Dialect will permit". The basis for the angelic associations is not clear, although it may be connected with the plant's reputation as an antidote to poisons; and the archangelic ones might be due to the fact that the flower would be in bloom on 8 May (old calendar), the day of St. Michael Archangel. A. archangelica grows well in Scotland, Germany, Scandinavia, and Russia. It is among the few tall plants which can withstand the weather in Iceland and the Faeroes. It will also thrive further south, and is grown in both France and Italy; and likewise in many parts of N. America, where it has been introduced as a cultivated herb. It differs from most members of the genus in having smooth stalks and leaves in all its parts, and has a distinctive scent, often described as musky. Formerly the leaf stalks were blanched and eaten like celery, and the leaves were candied. The roots were made into preserves, and angelica water was a well-known cordial. Its use as a vegetable survives in some countries, e.g. Greenland and the Feroes, where it is eaten cooked. Nowadays, however, much of the most common use is to candy the stalks, cut into short pieces, for use in cakes and confectionary. In England, it is frequently used to decorate a trifle. Most of the angelica grown commercially for candying comes from France and Germany. The candied stalks have been sold as 'French rhubarb' in the USA. Elsewhere, the addition of a little angelica to stewed rhubarb is thought to be a good way of reducing the acidity. Growing and candying angelica have been a speciality of Niort in France since the latter part of the 18th century, and the Niortais now have a monopoly in France. (Tales about the origin of their specialization are of doubtful validity, and it was not an invention of Niort--the art of candying angelica was already being practised in the south of France around 1600; but claims have been made that the angelica grown at Niort is superior to any other.) The process of candying angelica is elaborate, involving many stages and takes up to a year or more. Angelica jam is made and so are chocolate-coated pieces of candied angelica. Huette Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2003 22:24:46 EDT From: UrthMomma at aol.com Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Sca-cooks Digest, Vol 4, Issue 27 To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Angelica is lovage ?? I don't know what folk names the author was accustomed to, but angelica is not lovage. Lovage is good to use where celery is called for, especially in stews where it can cook properly as fresh lovage, even finely chopped can be rather coarse in texture, as in it feels like you are chewing on maple or oak leaves. Yea, angelica does somewhat resemble lovage in the garden as it also grows tall and has hollow stems also and "cut" foilage if I recall from also killing it about five years ago, but culinary uses the same as lovage ?? Certainly not in the other modes of herb usage that I know of. Bees probably love the flowers of both - "lovage is an apiaceous herb", but bees love the flowers of most herbs. Olwen Bucklond plant killer extraordinarie Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2003 09:35:05 -0400 From: Jeff.Gedney at Dictaphone.com Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Lovage vs Angelica?? To: Cooks within the SCA > Therefore, these two can't be the same, can they? > Do the two look alike? Taste alike? Having grown both, I can state with certainty that they are NOT the same (Jadwiga's description is pretty much spot on.) Lovage tastes like a cross between greenleaf lettuce, parsely and celery tops, and is a wonderful salad herb. I never got to taste the angelica ( dang neighbor kids and their dog ) Brandu Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 10:45:34 -0400 From: Daniel Myers Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] lovage recipes, PLEASE! To: jenne at fiedlerfamily.net, Cooks within the SCA sca-cooks at ansteorra.org> On Jun 21, 2004, at 9:37 AM, Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise wrote: > Ok, so I didn't save all he (period) recipes that used lovage. But you > see, I grew a whole big plant of it in the yard this year, and I should > start cooking with it. Here are the couple that I found after a quick search... [Source: Liber cure cocorum] For to make a compost Take þo chekyns and hew hom for þo seke, All but þe hede and þe legges eke. Take a handfulle of herb lovache, And anoþer of persely, als Of sage þat never was founde fals, And noþer of lekes and alle hom wasshe Þose herbes in water, þat rennes so rasshe.Breke þorowghe þy honde, bothe herbe and leke, With a pynt of hony enbeny hom eke, Summe of þese herbes þou shalle laye In þe pottus bothun , as I þe say. Summe of þe chekyns þou put þerto, And þen of þe herb3 do to also. So of þo ton so of þat oþer, Þo hrb3 on þe last my dere brother. Above þese herbus a lytul larde Smalle myncyd, haldand togeder warde. Take powder of gynger and canel god wone, Cast on þese oþer thynges everychon. Be sle3e and powre in water þenne To myd þo pot, as I the kenne. Opone þo ruys poure hit withinne, And cover hit þat no hete oute wynne, And tendurly seyth hit þou do may, Salt hit, serve hit, as I þe say. [Source: Le Viandier de Taillevent (J. Prescott, trans.)] To cure wine turned ropy. For a Paris hogshead, boil a potful o wheat until it has burst, drain it, and put it to cool. Take some well beaten egg whites, skim them, and put everything in the barrel. Stir with a short stick (split into 4 at the end) which does not reach the dregs, so that they are not disturbed. Hang pound of ground bastard lovage in a cloth sachet by a thread in the bunghole of the barrel. - Doc -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Edouard Halidai (Daniel Myers) Cum Grano Salis Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 15:50:48 -0700 From: "Rikke D. Giles" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Lovage, Lovage, who's got the Lovage? To: Cooks within the SCA On 2006.04.26 12:43, Aurelia Rufinia wrote: > Lets talk lovage. I've a huge growth of lovage (sounds like a condition really, and under certain circumstances it is). It grows like gangbusters here. We've little seedlings here and there which I have to weed out, but we've also a stand of it at about 2-3 feet tall right now, and heading on up to it's 8-10 foot maximum. Things just grow bigger here in the NW. As for celery, it's a far better subsitute for lovage than parsley. Lovage is extremely strong 'celery' tasting. So much so that one or two leaf fronds can take the place of a whole head of celery in a dish. Now, Black Lovage is different, being an annual, much more delicate and having a slightly different flavor. It does reseed itself every year for us. If I can figure a way to send some fresh lovage your way, I am willing to do it. Other than that, I would say that celery is the only really good substitute. HL Aelianora de Wintringham Barony of Dragon's Laire Kingdom of An Tir Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 17:10:18 -0700 From: "Rikke D. Giles" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] more lovage To: Cooks within the SCA On 2006.04.26 16:23, Aurelia Coritana wrote: > I've used celery seed in place of lovage fairly successfully, > although I'm just now looking to grow actual lovage of my very own. > > It takes over the place, they say? Yes, it can take over. But it does depend upon your growing conditions. Lovage and Celery like plenty of water. Celery is actually a marginal swamp plant, natively. Catalogs will say lovage, Levisticum officinalis, grows 5 to 6 feet tall. Not in the PacNW, where it grows up to 10 or more feet. But then we've the conditions it likes; moist ground, sunny, but not super warm days. Most every plant barring super heat lovers like okra and eggplant grows well here. Many of them end up 1-1/2 to 2 times the size they attain in other growing areas. The whole lovage plant is edible, although with varying degrees of toughness. The root is used; I believe it has to be pounded. The stalks, when young, are much like hollow celery stalks. When old they become very fibrous. The leaves are like celery leaves and stalks. They are quite flavorful. The seeds are like celery seed, and if the plant likes your area, will be abundantly self-sown. Lovage is a perennial. Once again, in Roman recipes you will find them calling for 'Black Lovage', Smyrnium olusatrum, also called Alexanders. This is an entirely different plant than lovage. It tastes different, albeit with celery as the dominant flavor. It only attains 2 to 4 feet. Its flower stalks will be longer. It's seeds are black and shiny. Some places say this plant is a perennial but I've found it to be short lived as such, and would say it was biennial. HL Aelianora de Wintringham Barony of Dragon's Laire Kingdom of An Tir Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 08:39:15 -0400 From: "Elise Fleming" Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: More Lovage To: "sca-cooks at ansteorra.org" Aurelia wrote: > I'm just now looking to grow actual lovage of my very own. > It takes over the place, they say? I've heard that but mine hasn't. It's still growing in the same spot and hasn't spread out at all. It just grows about 5' tall and needs a cage for support. Maybe the clay soil inhibits any spread?? Alys Katharine Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 09:44:05 -0400 From: "Jeff Gedney" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: More Lovage To: thin the SCA Here in CT I never had much problem with it, growing it or with it spreading beyond control. I too have very high clay soil, and I heavily worked coarse sand, lime and Peat moss into the soil before starting the garden. The lovage liked it best when it was wet, but I dont think that I ever had to support it. (If it got any higher I could see it, though.) The stuff is danged easy to grow, though, and seemed relatively immune to most of the bugs I dealt with. If you were to grow this in a container, I'd use a mix of peat moss and pearlite, use a large container, and keep it on the wet side. But it should be doable that way. The stuff is very forgiving. Capt Elias Dragonship Haven, East (Stratford, CT, USA) Edited by Mark S. Harris lovage-msg Page 11 of 11