Most often when we think of lavender, the first thing that comes to our minds is the lovely fragrance found in sachets, soap, perfumes and potpourri. More recently, however, lavender has been popping up on the menus of trendy, upscale restaurants. Using this wonderful herb in desserts and savory dishes is becoming more and more popular in the culinary profession. I had never tried cooking with lavender before the last article I wrote on honey. The recipe for Lavender Honey Ice Cream intrigued me, so I decided to try out the recipe. The ice cream was excellent and the lavender added a unique and interesting flavor. I knew I had to find out more about this appealing herb.
Lavender has over 2,500 years of recorded use. In the beginning, lavender was used very little in the kitchen, but more often as a perfume or a healing balm. The Egyptians, Phoenicians and peoples of Arabia used lavender for mummification and perfume. Lavender was also used to adorn the living. It was customary to perfume wedding clothes with the herb, and Greeks and Romans often bathed in lavender scented water. The word lavender comes from the Latin word “lavo” meaning “to wash”, and in Medieval and Renaissance Europe, the washing women were known as “lavenders.”
Lavender is also known as an herbal medicine. During the Great Plague in 17th century London, grave robbers would wash in Four Thieves Vinegar, which contained lavender, and rarely contracted the disease. Lavender and its oil can be used to treat insomnia, migraine headaches, to cool sunburns, soothe dry skin and to repel insects. Lavender is also thought to soothe the spirit, promote calmness, relieve anxiety and chase away the blues.
There are over 28 varieties of lavender and it is common in France, Spain, Italy and England. The Provence region of France is the world leader of the lavender trade, with Britain coming in second. The lavender plant is a bushy perennial with soft leaves and violet spikes. The variety we see here in the United States, and that is best to use in cooking, is English lavender. It grows to two to three feet with one-half-inch flower spikes on eight-inch stems. The two most common cultivars of English lavender are Munstead and Hidcote.
Growing lavender is easy. It requires full sun and well-drained soil. It will be happy in fertile soil in a flowerbed, to sandy soil with very little water. Lavender needs plenty of room to grow. One tiny plant can take over a two-foot square of garden space by the end of the summer.
All parts of the lavender plant can be used in cooking, but the flowers and buds have the best flavor. Lavender sprigs are most fragrant just before the flowers open, but can be harvested at any stage of bloom once they begin to show purple color. Pruning the plant, after the first main flush of bloom, to an inch or two below where the spikes started will help the plants from getting lanky.
Store lavender in a resealable bag in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator, or keep the flowering stems in a glass of water in the kitchen. Dried lavender is an excellent substitution for fresh lavender. To dry your own, harvest the stalks at their peak and hang them upside down in small bunches in a dark place with good circulation. After a few weeks, strip the buds from the stem and store in an airtight jar in a dark cupboard. Use one teaspoon of dried lavender for two teaspoons fresh.
Today, we are seeing a new-found popularity in cooking with lavender. Lavender can add an appealing flavor to most sweet and savory dishes. It is a member of the mint family and is best used with thyme, rosemary, sage, savory and spearmint. There are several ways to introduce its flavor in desserts. First, you can steep the flower buds in hot milk, cream or sugar syrup and use the infused liquid in custard, ice cream or sorbet. Second, you can chop the buds and add them to meringue, cake batter or fruit compote. Lastly, you can grind the buds with sugar until it forms a fine powder. The lavender sugar can be used in any baked good. Lavender’s flavor goes well with berries, ginger, cherries, plums, pistachios and walnuts. It is best used as a subtle background flavor. The flavor can be overpowering if too much is added.
Savory dishes can also benefit from the use of lavender. It can be used in many of the same ways one would use rosemary. Lavender is good with lamb, chicken, quail, pheasant and pork. Use it as a spice rub or in marinades. Add lavender flower spikes to the water when boiling potatoes or add chopped buds on steamed new potatoes for a refreshing new taste.
This summer, plant some lavender. Not only will you enjoy the fragrant, beautiful flowers in your garden; it will give you an opportunity to experiment with the interesting flavor of this wonderful herb in your cooking.
This article appears in March 2024.