Spice of LIFE
France|July 2020
From tarragon to thyme, fresh or dried herbs are the magic ingredients in many a French dish, as Lara Dunn explains
Lara Dunn
Spice of LIFE

Visit any French market and one of the delights you will almost certainly be met with is the sight and aroma of myriad fresh and dried herbs and spices. Indeed, herbs have been at the very foundations of French life for centuries, both for culinary and therapeutic use. The ancient Greeks and Romans were great users of herbs, seeing little distinction between their employment for their flavour or medicinal properties. These precious plants were a day-today part of life, and with the movement of the Romans into France, where many species already grew wild thanks to a similar climate, their popularity quickly spread there too.

From the Middle Ages, the beneficial properties of certain plants started to become more widely studied, with the first references to herbalists – or herboristes – appearing in the 14th century. This soon developed into three distinct areas of expertise in France – the herbalist, the apothecary, and the pharmacist.

Herbalists were essentially carrying on the know-how passed on from ancient times, while apothecaries and pharmacists honed and developed this knowledge further, blending and refining for greater beneficial effect.

Today, France still has an active commitment to herbal remedies, with tinctures, teas, infusions and tisanes very much a part of everyday life, although much diminished from the fairly recent past. In 1940 there were around 4,500 herbalists in France, but today only a dozen or so remain, such as Père Blaize in Marseille; established in 1815, it’s a fascinatingly fragrant place to visit.

Marvellous medicine

This story is from the July 2020 edition of France.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 2020 edition of France.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM FRANCEView All
Paindemic In Paris
France

Paindemic In Paris

For American actor and writer Alexander Burnett, a shortage of bread at his local boulangerie was one of the biggest challenges of lockdown in his adopted home city

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2020
VEULES-LES-ROSES
France

VEULES-LES-ROSES

Between the white cliffs of the Côte d’Albâtre and the bucolic landscapes of the Pays de Caux, discover a village that combines coast and country,

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2020
Taking the BISCUIT
France

Taking the BISCUIT

France is known for its exquisite pâtisserie and extravagant gâteaux but the not-so-humble biscuit deserves recognition too

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2020
PICTURE PERFECT PISTE
France

PICTURE PERFECT PISTE

After a decade away from the slopes Janet Brice finds her ski legs in val d'arly, a hidden gem in the shadow of Mount Blanc

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2020
Let there BE LIGHT
France

Let there BE LIGHT

Lyon’s annual Fête des Lumières brightens up the darkest of December nights in spectacular fashion, finds David Atkinson on a winter visit to the Rhône capital

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2020
Shop ‘til YOU DROP
France

Shop ‘til YOU DROP

In the first of our new Insight guides, Helen Parkinson delights in the French shopping experience

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2020
Floating YOUR BOAT
France

Floating YOUR BOAT

Spending a day on the River Seine in Paris, Heidi Fuller-love samples some of the city’s top entertainment that can be enjoyed afloat

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2020
Creamy Dijon Chicken With Bacon And Spinach
France

Creamy Dijon Chicken With Bacon And Spinach

Enjoy this hearty dish from Bisous & Brioche, a cookbook shot on location in Burgundy

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2020
A Moveable Feast
France

A Moveable Feast

Philip Sweeney embarks on a voyage gourmand along the Vallée de la Gastronomie travelling from Dijon to Marseille

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
BOND RETOUR 7
France

BOND RETOUR 7

To celebrate the return of everyone’s favourite globe-trotting British intelligence officer in No Time to Die, Helen Parkinson rounds up five of James Bond’s top cross-Channel escapades

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2020