Basil
(Available all year round
with the most plentiful supply from
November to April). Many
varieties of basil with differing leaves and intensity of flavour
are available.
Basil has a sweet strong
spicy flavour which will improve almost all salads and savoury
dishes. It goes particularly well with tomatoes and is the key
ingredient of pesto. Basil is best used either raw or added at the
end of cooking. Basil has anti-cancer
properties.
Bay
(Available all year round).
Bay leaves are used to
flavour stocks, stews,
marinades, and soups; they
are generally added at the
beginning of cooking
and removed before eating.
Bay leaves have
shown high to very high
antioxidant activity.
Chervil
(Available all year round
with the most plentiful
supply from April to
October). Chervil is a mild
herb and a generous
quantity of chopped leaves
is best added fresh just
before serving as the light
flavour is quickly lost. It
can be put in all sorts of
salads, or sprinkled over
lightly cooked vegetables
or soups. Chervil contains
a variety of flavonoids
and has antioxidant
activity.
Chives
(Available all year round
with the most plentiful supply from
September to May). Chives
are a member of the onion family and have a mild onion
flavour. They are a really versatile herb with lots of uses. Chives
should be added to a dish just before serving because too much
heat can destroy the flavour.
All parts of the chive
plant have different antioxidant activities, although the leaves contain
the highest amounts of active compounds. These include
flavonoids, vitamin C, carotenoids
and antioxidant enzymes.
Coriander (cilantro)
(Available all year round).
Fresh coriander has a distinctive
strong aromatic and spicy
flavour. Coriander leaves, stems, roots and seeds are used.
It is used a lot in Chinese, Thai and Indian recipes. The leaves
of fresh coriander are also known as cilantro, though the dried
(and ground) seeds are referred to solely as coriander.
Coriander seed has been
reported to have a number of
possible health attributes,
particularly relating to the gastro- intestinal tract, but also
as a possible diabetic remedy. Most research relating to the
leaf relates to antioxidant activity. However, its antioxidant
activity is much lower than for many other herbs.
Dill
(Available all year round
with the most plentiful supply
between October and April).
Dill leaves and seeds have a mild aniseed flavour which
is similar though slightly sweeter and more aromatic than
fennel. Like chervil and parsley, dill belongs to the Apiaceae
family. It has high antioxidant activity
and contains extremely high
levels of the flavonoids quercetin,kaempferol and
isorhamnetin.
Fennel
(Available between October
and April). It looks a bit like dil but tastes like aniseed.
The seeds are used too, and have a stronger flavour.
Fennel extracts contain
relatively low levels of phenolic compounds and show only a
low level of antioxidant activity.
Horseradish
(Horseradish roots are
available all year round and the leaves are available from
October to May). Horseradish is a hot tasting root which is
scrubbed, peeled, grated. Small amounts of grated
horseradish may be added to salads or steamed vegetables as a
flavouring. Horseradish belongs to the
Brassicaceae family, whose members share the mustardy
taste and smell. Equally they contain glucosinolates.
When grated the glucosinolates in the root (mainly sinigrin
and gluconasturtiin) are hydrolysed. These hydrolysed compounds
give horseradish its
characteristic pungent
mustardy aroma and taste.
Lemon grass
(Available all year round).
A common ingredient in South
East Asian cookery, both
the bulbous base and the long lemon flavoured leaves are
used. The base should be peeled and chopped finely
before use. It freezes well. Lemon grass oil has high
antioxidant activity and lemon grass extracts, including
citral, have been shown to have
anti-cancer properties.
Oregano/ Marjoram
(Available all year round
with the most plentiful supply from 
October to April). There
are many varieties of oregano which have been developed from a
parent plant, oregano or wild marjoram. While we use the
names oregano, marjoram or sweet marjoram interchangeably
in New Zealand these are each different varieties
which have a distinct taste. Oregano is much more widely available. Oregano is one of the most
studied herbs. It has very high levels of phenolics and
antioxidant activity.
Parsley
(Available all year round).
Parsley is probably the most
commonly used herb in New
Zealand and it is extremely
versatile. If adding to a
cooked dish, it is better to add
parsley at the end of
cooking because flavour is lost with
prolonged heating.
Parsley contains moderate
levels of phenolics and antioxidant activity. Along with other members of the Apiaceae
family, parsley also contains
polyacetylenes, which are toxic to fungi, bacteria and some
cancer cells, as well as having anti- inflammatory and
anti-platelet aggregating activity.
Mint
(Available all year round).
Mint, one of the most popular herbs
in New Zealand, is
exceptionally good in flavouring salads,
dressings, sauces and
soups. There are many varieties of mint
available, including apple
mint, pineapple mint, peppermint and spearmint. Mint has been
used as a folk remedy particularly for nausea, indigestion,
flatulence and even hiccups. It also used to be used to whiten teeth.
Vietnamese mint (Vietnamese
coriander)
(Available all year round
with the most plentiful supply
between October and April).
This plant belongs to neither the mint nor coriander
families, but is instead a member of the same family as buckwheat
and rhubarb. It has pointed leaves which are darker than
standard mint. Vietnamese mint has a strong flavour, and as the
name suggests, is used a lot in Asian cooking.
Rosemary
(Available all year round).
Rosemary is a fresh strong-flavoured herb. While large amounts
are often used when roasting meat or vegetables, it can be
used more sparingly on chicken and fish. “Rosemary for remembrance”
is a well known epithet, perhaps originating from its
folkloric reputation for strengthening the memory and general “weaknesses
of the brain”.
Rosemary and its compounds
have been shown to have antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory activity and to have anti- cancer and anti-thrombotic
potential.
Sage
(Available al year round with the most plentiful supply
from
October to April). Sage is
another member of the Lamiaceae or mint family. It is a strong flavoured herb which is
general y used in smal quantities. Sage is quite a versatile herb
which lends itself
wel to a range of dishes. Sage has been found to
significantly improve cognitive functions
in patients with Alzheimer’s. The botanical name of this
genus, Salvia, is derived from the Latin ‘salvere’, to be saved,
attesting to its curative powers.
Tarragon
(Most readily available
between November and April). French tarragon is the best
flavoured variety and has a fresh aniseed flavour. Russian tarragon,
although similar, has almost no flavour. Raw or cooked tarragon goes
wel with most vegetable dishes,
especial y those with a
delicate flavour.
Thyme
(Available al year round with the most plentiful supply
from May to September). There
are many varieties of thyme and each has a slightly different
flavour. Lemon and standard thyme are available commercial y and
may be used raw or cooked. Thyme
can be added to soups,
casseroles, stuffing, chicken, meat, steamed vegetables, salads and
dressings, or sprinkled on breads and pizzas.
New Zealand grown thyme has
similar levels of antioxidant activity and phenolic
compounds to that
of New Zealand
grown mint, rosemary and bay leaf,
although much lower than those of oregano.
