Herbs, if you use a little or a whole lot they transform your everyday dish adding a unique freshness and aroma while being amazingly beneficial for our bodies too.

While living in India I was already familiar with a few varieties that my mother would use in her everyday kitchen like coriander, dill, mint, bay leaves, and on rare occasions, basil. However, when I moved to the Middle East and began cooking my meals regularly I gradually developed a full appreciation for these fragrant and delicate group of ingredients. With nationalities from all over the world, this region is blessed with a treasure of produce leaving a novice or an accomplished cook plenty to experiment with at reasonable rates. Also for the people of this region herbs are an important part of their everyday meal and this in turn opened my mind and palate to a whole new world of food.

As I began experimenting in my kitchen I was thrilled to discover that just a few sprigs of a herb could bring so much magic to an otherwise mundane dish. On our travels around the globe, my favourite thing was to head to the botanical gardens and just walk past the herb bushes gently brushing the tops taking in that amazing fragrance or to sink my head into a bunch of freshly bunches excited to discover new varieties at the local markets.

Varieties and types.

We have finally started to notice that there is real curative value in local herbs and remedies. In fact, we are also becoming aware that there are little or no side effects to most natural remedies, and that they are often more effective than Western medicine. – Anne Wilson Schaef

Parsley, Chives, Tarragon, Sage, Rosemary, Oregano, lavender, the list is endless especially once you start looking beyond the supermarket and more into local or indigenous herbs. 

Have you heard of Loveroot, Horsemint, Wild mint, Sagebrush, Juniper, Wild Onion, Lemon Myrtle, dandelion, comfrey, sage, chamomile, juniper berries, or mugwort?