Hyssop

Hysope

What it is

Named in the Bible and grown in monastery gardens for a thousand years, it fell almost entirely out of cooking — too bitter, too medicinal for modern palates. It survives mainly in Chartreuse and a handful of other monastic liqueurs.

In the kitchen

Treat it like a bitter rather than an herb. A few leaves in a fruit compote or a game sauce, and no more.

Goes with

Apricot Peach Honey Venison Thyme Rosemary Plum Juniper berry

In season alongside

Calendula Epazote Génépi Lavender flowers Mugwort Wormwood

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