Thyme is a genus of about 350 species of aromatic perennial herbaceous plants & sub-shrubs to 40 centimetres tall, in the family Lamiaceae & native to Europe, North Africa & Asia. FRENCH SUmmER THYME has a distinctive & slightly more delicate flavour profile than either German Winter Thyme or English Wild Thyme GERMAN WINTER THYME has a distinctive & more robust flavour profile than either French Summer Thyme or English Wild Thyme due to its harvesting at the end of its growing season. ENGLISH WILD THYME has a distinctive & more robust flavour profile than French Summer Thyme & is similar to German Winter Thyme due to its harvesting at the end of its growing season but is harvested wild & not cultivated LEMON THYME smells strongly of lemon & tastes like lemon. It can be used in any recipe calling for lemon juice, lemon zest or lemon flavouring. Traditional Culinary Uses for Thyme : - Thyme is widely cultivated as a herb, grown for its strong flavour, which is due to its content of thymol (Huxley 1992). It retains its flavour on drying better than many other herbs. Thyme is often used to flavour meats, soups & stews. It is used in French cuisine, where it is an important element in a bouquet garni, as well as in Herbes de Provence. It is also widely used in Caribbean cuisine. in some Middle Eastern countries, the condiment za’atar contains thyme as a vital ingredient. Thyme is added early in cooking so that its oils have time to be released. History of Thyme: - The Ancient Egyptians used thyme in embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths & burnt it as incense in their temples, believing that thyme was a source of courage. It was thought that the spread of thyme throughout Europe was thanks to the Romans, as they used it to purify their rooms. in the European Middle Ages, the herb was placed beneath pillows to aid sleep & ward off nightmares. (Huxley 1992). in this period, women would also often give knights & warriors gifts that included thyme leaves as it was believed to bring courage to the bearer. Thyme was also used as incense & placed on coffins during funerals as it was supposed to assure passage into the next life. Thyme - Thymus Vulgaris 100 Grams
