Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Herb guide to Common Rue along with all the Common Rue containing recipes presented on this site, with 122 recipes in total.

e This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Common Rue as a major herb flavouring.

Common Rue, Ruta graveolens, (also known as Herb-of-Grace and Garden Rue) is an evergreen perennial shrub of the Rutaceae (citrus) family. It is probably native to Mediterranean Europe and western Asia though it's culinary usage in Roman and Medieval plant has led to the naturalization of this herb to much of Europe. Though often used as an ornamental plant due to its bluish leaves and tolerance of drought conditions it is not used as an herb today and the use of rue for culinary purposes is seen as 'old fashioned'. Indeed, rue is extremely bitter and thus does not particularly suit modern culinary tastes.



Despite this, rue's scent is aromatic and sweet and it's fruit are slightly hot in taste (rue leaves become even more bitter if dried). Rue leaves are lobate, and generally paired on the stalk. The flowers are small and yellow appearing in clusters of up to half a dozen. The name 'rue' itself derives from the French rue which itself derives from the Latin ruta, a borrowing from the Greek 'ῥυτή', (rhyte). Rue is still occasionally used in Italy where it's bitterness can counteract the 'heaviness' of sauces based on tomato and olive oil. Rue remains popular in the cuisine of Ethiopia, however, where it is often a component in the national spice mix, berbere. Ethiopian cuisine also utilizes rue berries in many sauces and stews.



Rue has a strong, aromatic and sweet fragrance that makes it different from any other herb. However, the taste is very bitter, (this is exacerbated when dried) and it was used as a bittering agent for meads and beers during the Middle Ages. The seeds can also be dried and have sensory qualities that are very similar to the leaves (but even stronger). Rue leaves contain about 1% essential oil, the main components of which are 2-hendecanone (2-undecanone, methylnonylketone) and 2-nonanone (methylheptylketone) along with several ketone compounds. The bitterness of rue is due to the presence of rutin, a poly­phenolic flavono­lone glycoside containing the disaccharide rutinose as sugar component.



It was a commonly-used herb in Roman times and it was an essential ingredient in rural-style foods such as moretum, a spicy paste of garlic, hard cheese and herbs (coriander, celery and rue). It was also a common herb during the European Middle ages and many recipes from these periods call for rue (both fresh and dried) as an ingredient. However, the bitter qualities mean that the herb is seldom used today (even in Germany, where it was used up to 50 years ago, it is hardly used by modern cooks). It is still occasionally used in Italy (and the herb matches well with tomato-based sauces). However, just about the only cuisine that still uses rue extensively is Ethiopian, where fresh leaves are used to flavour coffee.



Indeed, decoction is the best way to impart rue flavour to a dish without the associated bitterness. This is a true that Ancient Roman cooks knew well. They would make a bouquet garni by tying together a celery stick with rue, parsley and thyme and use this to stir a sauce as it cooked.



It should be noted that some people experience an allergic reaction similar to that provoked by poison ivy on contact with rue leaves, particularly in summer. As a result, take care when picking rue leaves, particularly if you have not picked them before.



Despite the absence of rue from the modern culinary repertoire in that meat, eggs and cheese dishes can all benefit from a small dash of rue (as long as you don't over-do it!).



Rue also makes an interesting addition to pickling vinegars, especially as bitter flavours go well with acids. Also, if you want to reduce the bitterness of rue salt it liberally before use as this will neutralize much of the bitterness. Blanching rue leaves for a minute can also significantly reduce the bitterness of the herb.