Chervil

(Anthriscus cerefolium)

The Basics:

Sometimes called “the gourmet’s parsley,” chervil looks very similar to parsley with its delicate, bright green leaves, but it tastes more like tarragon with a slightly peppery, anise flavor. Part of the same plant family as carrots, some varietals of chervil have a tuberous root that can be roasted and eaten, but this varietal’s leaves are not usually cultivated for consumption. Chervil plants produce tiny white blossoms in late spring.

Planting Instructions:

Seeds should be sown in late spring or early autumn in a garden patch of shallow, well draining soil or in portable medium sized seeding pots. Whether you’re growing your chervil out of doors or in, the soil needs to be kept well watered, and the plants need plenty of sunlight. Once chervil plants have germinated, seedlings can be spread out to give them plenty of room to grow. The outermost leaves of a chervil plant should be harvested first to give the inner leaves a chance to mature.

Fun Facts:

Chervil is the central ingredient in Grundonnerstag soup or “Green Thursday” soup. The Thursday before Easter, Green Thursday is celebrated in Germany by preparing a green soup made with vegetable stock, cream, and lots and lots of chervil.

Nutritional Properties:

To your list of hiccup cures, add chervil. In the Middle Ages, a teaspoon or two of chopped chervil was believed to be a cure for hiccups.

How to Use:

A component of the “fines herbes” combination that the French add to dishes at the end of cooking in order to give them one last touch of freshness and flavor, chervil, along with chives, tarragon, and parsley, is important to have on hand. It adds a subtle note of spicy sweetness to mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables, a dash of peppery pungency to soups and stews, and a hint of herbal earthiness to scrambled eggs and omelets. Try it in place of parsley as a garnish for your next meal, or go all out and whip up a batch of Green Thursday Soup. Find the recipe on our “Recipes” page.

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