Content
The herb Tarragon (Tarragon) is known throughout the world as a fragrant seasoning. Drinks and dishes with aromatic spices are typical for Indian, Asian, Mediterranean, European cuisines, widely used by the peoples of the Caucasus. Application in cooking and folk medicine is fresh herbs, dry seasoning, frozen tarragon. Spicy aroma, characteristic refreshing taste of tarragon are used in baked goods, first courses, salads, sauces, and various drinks.
What does tarragon herb look like
Dragoon herb, Stragon, Tarragon wormwood are different names of the same fragrant herb, known to healers and culinary specialists since antiquity. From Latin, the botanical name Artemísiadracúnculus is translated as "already Artemis". Another name for Tarhuna - Tarragon, is used universally to denote several related European species. Mongolia and Eastern Siberia are considered the birthplace of perennial culture, but the plant is most in demand in Asian cuisine.
Tarragon belongs to the genus Wormwood, but is devoid of its bitterness, and its aroma is much stronger. The height of the erect stem of tarragon varies from 50 cm to 1.5 m. The powerful taproot bends fancifully, resembling a coiled snake, and becomes lignified over time. Tarragon from the photo of the plant and its botanical description really resembles wormwood, but has obvious differences with it.
The leaves of a rich emerald-green color are attached to the stems without a petiole, have an oblong, pointed shape. The lower leaves on the central shoot can bifurcate at the end. Small, yellow Tarragon flowers, collected in dense panicles, appear on the bushes towards the end of summer. Numerous small seeds ripen by October.
European varieties of Tarragon: Russian, Polish, French, are of Arab origin and are obtained from the cultivation of varieties imported from Asia.
Where does tarragon grow
Wild Tarragon is found in Central Asia, India, Eastern Europe, China, North America. In Russia, different species of Tarhun grow from the temperate latitudes of the European part to Siberia and the Far East. A low-growing wild species of Tarragon wormwood in the Transcaucasus in the Arabic manner is called "Tarhun".
Favorite growing areas of Tarragon are steppe, rocky slopes, pebble rocks, and occasionally Tarragon is found in uncultivated fields. Among the herbs, Tarragon stands out for its ability to take root in an unusual climate for it and is cultivated everywhere. Wild species prefer dry soils, while cultivated plantings need to be constantly moistened.
How to use tarragon
Tarragon is rich in carotene, aromatic substances, vitamins. The rich chemical composition includes many mineral compounds required by the body. Magnesium, potassium, iron, manganese, zinc, other micro- and macroelements are present in Tarragon greens in significant concentrations and are easily absorbed by the body. Tarragon, unlike other wormwood, is not toxic.
The benefits of Tarhun in the treatment of vitamin deficiency, apathy, and insomnia were well known to Arab doctors in ancient times.The herb is able to strengthen the immune system, cheer up, relieve swelling, and maintain vision. Adding a spice to food increases bile production, thus improving digestion.
Ways of using Tarhun:
- Fresh green parts of the plant are added to cold sauces, sprinkled with ready-made main courses. Leaves and stems are recommended to be used without heat treatment. When heated, a specific bitterness may appear. Let's combine the taste of fresh Tarragon with all types of salads, well complement fish, poultry, lamb dishes.
- Dried tarragon seasoning has a richer aroma and taste than the original green raw materials. The shades that spice gives to food are also slightly different. Dry seasoning can be boiled, added to baked goods; bitterness does not appear when using this herb.
- Frozen herb retains almost all the properties and nutrients inherent in tarragon. You can also use the chilled spice as a fresh herb.
- Adding Tarragon to oils saturates them not only with taste, but also with vitamins and minerals. Liquid oils are infused with Tarragon for about 14 days. Dense fractions are mixed with finely chopped tarragon greens.
The addition of spice gives food or drinks a piquant, cooling, slightly pungent taste, as well as an invigorating aroma reminiscent of anise. The specific color of tarragon is more evident when fresh shoots and leaves are used.
The use of tarragon seasoning in cooking
Tarhun came to Europe in the 17th century from Asia and became popular first in French cuisine, and then spread throughout the continent. Spicy herb perfectly complements a wide variety of dishes:
- Melo sliced fresh tarragon can be added to any salad. The amount of green spice in vegetable dishes should be moderate due to the strong aroma of the plant. It is enough to enter ½ tsp. chopped Tarragon for one serving of salad to appreciate its specific taste and give the dish a refreshing aroma.
- There are special "salad" varieties of Tarragon with a more muted aroma and less pungent taste. Such tarragon can be used in large quantities. For the preparation of salads, the tender tops of young shoots are used.
- Sauces served with fish, meat, poultry can be enriched with tarragon wormwood. Add spice to mayonnaise, vinegar, vegetable oils. Any marinades for barbecuing, baking, frying meat or fish also get bright aromatic shades when Tarragon is added to them. For the best flavor release, tarragon is ground with salt, adding to sauces and marinades to taste.
- Before baking, rub the meat with fresh grass leaves. Sprinkle fish, poultry, game with dried seasoning before cooking. Tarragon perfectly masks the specific taste of mutton and is used in any meat dishes of the Caucasian cuisine.
- First courses from vegetables, meat broths, fish soup can be prepared with the addition of dried spices. Tarragon is added at the end of cooking, a few minutes before cooking. Such food is useful for people suffering from weak digestion. In cold soups (for example, okroshka or beetroot), it is permissible to add fresh tarragon greens.
To enrich wine varieties of vinegar, it is enough to put one sprig of green spice in a 200 ml bottle and leave for at least a week.
Where can you use dried tarragon herb
The specificity of the spice lies in the greater return of aromatic substances from the dried plant. Qualitatively prepared grass has a strong characteristic odor, slightly changes color, is easily rubbed with fingers to a powder state.
In a mixture of seasonings, Tarragon not only gives off its own aroma, but also helps to reveal the smells and tastes of other plants. Tarragon goes well with such spices:
- oregano;
- marjoram;
- thyme;
- rosemary;
- mint.
Dried Tarragon Application Methods:
- In folk medicine in the form of powder, infusion, decoction. As an additive to medical lapping and ointments. For the enrichment of cosmetics.
- In cooking, it is added to any hot dishes or drinks during cooking 2-3 minutes before being cooked. With prolonged boiling, the specific aroma and pungency of tarragon are lost.
- Dry Tarragon reveals its taste more fully when combined with products containing vegetable acids: lemon juice, natural vinegar, fruits, berries.
- Spice gives the flour products a fresh forest aroma. Tarragon is rarely used for sweet pastries. Most often, a pinch of dried herbs is added to the dough for homemade bread, flat cakes.
Tarragon is a seasoning with a strong specific smell and a cooling spicy aftertaste. Its use should be moderate. For experimenting with any dish, a small pinch of grass is enough at first.
Where tarragon is added when canning
When canning at home for the winter, Tarhun acts as both a flavoring agent and an additional preservative. The active ingredients in the herb prevent the growth of bacteria, which allows the harvest to remain fresh longer.
Application of Tarragon in blanks for the winter:
- Tarragon jam, made with sugar syrup from fresh herbs, can be eaten as a separate dessert or used as a syrup. It is convenient to enrich drinks, cocktails, desserts with such an additive.
- The addition of fresh tarragon sprigs gives the compotes, jelly, berry and fruit jam a cooling flavor. At the same time, fresh leaves must not be boiled for more than 5 minutes, otherwise the taste of the workpiece will be spoiled.
- Green Tarragon gives a sophisticated flavor to the marinades. Fresh twigs are added to brines when soaking apples, pickling cabbage, salting vegetables, mushrooms.
- Pickled cucumbers and tomatoes also take on an unusual spicy flavor with tarragon. The spice does not change the original taste of vegetables, but emphasizes it, makes it more pronounced.
For canning cucumbers or tomatoes in any way (pickling, pickling, pickling) add 2-3 fresh sprigs of Tarragon to one 3-liter jar. It is recommended to lay the spice together with cloves of garlic, which also cannot stand prolonged heating.
The use of tarragon herb in the production of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
The famous carbonated drink "Tarhun" well demonstrates the color, smell, unusual taste of spice. You can prepare drinks with your favorite aroma yourself. Moreover, the herb goes well with both refreshing drinks and alcohol.
To make vodka tincture on a bottle (0.5 l) of high-quality alcohol, it is enough to add a small bunch of green or dried herbs and place the container in a dark place. After 15-20 days, the alcohol will acquire its characteristic aroma. The color of the tarragon (Tarhuna) tincture, as in the photo below, may be different. Often the homemade drink turns out to be unclear, which does not affect the taste. At the same time, dried and fresh herbs give different shades of taste and color to the drink.
For homemade lemonade, you can use tarragon greens or jam syrup. Emerald, spicy-cooling drink quenches thirst well and invigorates in the heat. The green mass killed in a blender with sugar can be diluted with plain or mineral water to taste or added to other lemonades at the rate of 1 tsp. for 1 liter of liquid.
It is convenient to use a sweet tarragon extract infused with syrup. The base is boiled from water and sugar (1: 1), chopped fresh herbs are poured with a solution for at least 30 minutes. Then the syrup is added to any cold drinks, tea, liqueurs, sweet liqueurs to taste.
When making a smoothie, add a few young shoots to a blender to the rest of the ingredients. This makes the drink even healthier, gives it an emerald color, and enhances the taste of the main components.
Is it possible to freeze tarragon
The easiest way to preserve the benefits and flavor of a plant for a long time is to freeze it.In the refrigerator, Tarragon stays fresh for about 7 days. Placed in a plastic bag and stored in the freezer, tarragon looks and smells fresh for over 60 days. Whole frozen tarragon can be used in the same way as freshly picked.
Tarragon wormwood can be frozen with butter. To do this, the shoots are finely chopped, placed in small portions in ice molds and the containers are filled with olive oil. After 24 hours, the frozen cubes can be shaken out of the molds and placed in plastic bags for compact storage. It is convenient to add such a blank to soups, sauces, defrost in portions for dressing salads.
For further use in cocktails or dressing meat dishes, tarragon is frozen differently:
- Tarragon is crushed and placed in a cooking utensil.
- Dry white wine is poured into a container and put on fire.
- After evaporating about half of the liquid, set the dishes aside from the heat.
- After the mixture has cooled completely, it is poured into molds and sent to the freezer.
In order to add the refreshing taste of tarragon to any drink, just put a few cubes of aromatic ice in the glass. Wine cubes are added when stewing, marinating or boiling meat, game, fish.
Conclusion
The herb Tarragon (Tarragon) is one of the most versatile spices. It complements both sweet and savory dishes well. The popularity of the spicy herb is also explained by the absence of contraindications to its intake. Caution should be taken when using Tarragon only during pregnancy and with a tendency to allergic reactions.
