Sister Sledge

If plants had family reunions, the Mint family would need a lot of space. We’ve discussed mint and the relatives rosemary, thyme, lavender and some still to discuss such as sage, basil, marjoram, and oregano. True to the characteristics of mint family plants, savory has a square stem, opposite and alternative leaves and flowers on which the lower portion extends a bit further than the upper. After knowing the clan, things get more complicated.

Savory, both summer and winter, are part of the satureja genus and in this we have the summer savory, Satureja bortensis, and the winter, Satureja montana. Summer savory is an annual and winter a perennial.

Where Did We Come From?

As we read about the history of herbs and spices, we come upon some familiar themes or people. In the spice trade, cinnamon and nutmeg and cardamom, we found the Portuguese and the Dutch very active in the Indonesian area spice trade. As we learn about the herbs, especially the ancient herbs, we bump into, so to speak, Pliny. Pliny the Elder, to differentiate him from his son, Pliny the Younger, was a “Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and friend of emperor Vespasian.”[1] He, the Elder, gave the savories their Latin genus name, basing it off of the “word for ‘satyr,’ the half-man half-goat creature that roamed the ancient mythological forests.”[2] The Romans and the Greeks appear to have loved the herbs, cooking much with them and flavoring vinegars with them. Virgil thought savory near bee hives a good idea for the honey the bees would produce would be well flavored.[3]

Balance in all things is important. It was thought that winter savory suppressed the sexual desire while summer savory got the juices flowing. Notables such as Culpepper and William Shakespeare wrote of the savories as well.

For all the writing of and about the savories, and some of the more enjoyable side effects, how has it been shoved to the back of the spice shelf?

How Did We Get Here?

Early colonists brought both savoires with them to the New World. Amongst their traits are included the ability to still the winds, aiding asthma symptoms, assisting in a regular cycle, as a topical antiseptic and, of course, stoking the fires, so to speak.[4]

Both savories can be grown from seeds or cuttings. Both feature well in cooking, the winter being perhaps a bit more peppery—they both are peppery—and a bit more piny.

Savories are excellent additions to dry bean dishes for the savory helps eliminate that enzyme which makes all 3^rd graders laugh: flatulence. Savory has the ability to bring all the flavors of a dish together as would salt and pepper. “Savory is also savoury by nature, and so it seasons a dish without the need for salt and pepper.”[5] This tying together of flavors is particularly useful in dried bean dishes as the salting of the beans too early can lead to tough beans. [I wasn’t certain that this old wive’s tale was so, so I dug a bit. Give this site a gander to see for yourself what they found about salting beans. http://bit.ly/SaltOrNoSalt ] In any event, adding flavor at the early stages of cooking is always a good thing.

As an annual, summer savory requires replanting every year. Perhaps that has something to do with its, um, powers and if you want that you have to work for it. Winter savory is a perennial and, like its summer cousin, prefer well draining soil, it likes the cold. “[T]he fact that you could scrape the snow away and still reveal fresh Savory leaves counted for a lot.”[6]

Into The Food Again

Savories, both of them, play very well with all legumes. They are also good playmates with eggs, cabbages and Brussels Sprouts, fish and chutneys and roots such as turnips, rutabaga and parsnips. Also, they both work well with game meats and pâtés, winter being the preferred in this case.

I will admit that I learned a few things about savory in researching this article. Since it seems challenging to find, I might not mind winter over summer, and in fact, as flavor goes, it is more my style. I like pronounced flavors.  Savory is also an ingredient in my version of Herbs de Provence.  I do like a few spoonfuls of the mix in my focaccia.  Tastes good and the purple specks are just fun.

As we are still young in the year, plant some savory in your garden. As summer winds down, cut the stems of the summer savory, place it flat on newspapers for a few days to dry, stip the leaves off and store in an sealable jar. Add the stems to your kindling pile. Keep the winter for the fresh herb touch in February.

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder

[2] Rodale’s Illustrated Book of Herbs, Rodale Press, 1987, pg 452.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] http://www.campaignforrealfarming.org/2012/01/herb-of-the-month-winter-savory/

[6] Ibid.