John Myers
The intense taste and healing powers gave sage the title ‘mother of all herbs’ as early as the Middle Ages. To this day, the Mediterranean shrub has lost little of its popularity. Find out how the legendary herb is used in modern cooking here.
For example, German cuisine uses sage as a spice
As a classic ingredient for numerous Mediterranean dishes, sage is now also used in many different ways in German cuisine. The silvery, shimmering leaves are rich in essential oils, so they are best used as a flavoring for savory dishes. The following overview presents some particularly delicious variants:
- Fry sausages and meatballs with chopped sage
- Stuffed with fresh sage leaves, a chicken also gets a special flavor on the inside
- Roast mutton gives the kitchen herb the finishing touch
- Fried eel wrapped in sage isn’t just for the Northern Lights
The famous Sage Mäusle is a delicious snack with beer and wine. For this purpose, freshly harvested sage leaves are rolled in flour and baked in a dough made from 100 grams of wheat flour, 1 egg, 300 milliliters of beer, and 50 grams of starch flour, each with a pinch of salt and baking powder. The stems remain on the leaf as a ‘mouse tail’.
This is how our European neighbors enjoy fresh sage
In the countries of origin, sage is an integral part of food preparation. Numerous Italian and Greek classics are primarily based on the inimitable herbal aroma. In the following we take a look across the borders to our neighbors:
- The Roman specialty ‘Saltimbocca alla Romana’ consists of veal escalope, ham, and sage
- Fresh sage leaves fried in brown butter transform into a savory pasta sauce
- The Greeks love skewers of meat with mutton, bacon, and sage leaves
- In Provence, gourmets enjoy ‘Aigo Boulido’, a garlic soup with sage
Whatever type of preparation you prefer, the dosage should always be very economical. If you soak the sage leaves before processing, they become particularly tender. In order to develop the full aroma, the herb should always simmer for a few minutes with the other ingredients.
Tips and tricks
Friends of sweet treats don’t have to do without the taste of sage. To that end, there are fruity varieties to choose from, such as pineapple sage, also known as honeydew melon sage. With its bright red flowers, the herb plant, which is as delicious as it is decorative, adorns every perennial border and summer balcony.
