Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Herb guide to Costmary along with all the Costmary containing recipes presented on this site, with 5 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 Costmary as a major herb flavouring.

Costmary, Tanacetum balsamita (also known as Alecost, Alehoof, Balsam herb, Bible leaf, Mint Geranium or Sweet Mary) is a perennial herb in the Asteraceae (Aster/Daisy) family that's native to Europe and Western Asia (but which is an introduced weed in North America). It grows to 1m tall and bears erect oval leaves and the plant extends to 1m in height and vary in colour from green to grey to silver. Between September and October it produces small yellow or white flowers. It is native to western Asia, but has been naturalized in Europe and parts of North America.



This is a traditional herb garden plant that's been used for centuries. When crushed the leaves emit a soft balsamic odour mixed with notes of lemon and mint and they have been used in potpourris and as insect repellents. Dried leaves make a flavourful tea and the leaves themselves can be used to flavour soups and beers. A small amount can be added (chopped) to salads (use sparingly or they will dominate). Whole leaves can also be laid in cake tins to flavour cakes whilst they are baking (remove after baking) and the flower petals can also be added to jams and conserves. Costmary also pairs well with fruit, tuna, egg and seafood dishes and it's a traditional flavouring for veal stuffings. The plant requires full sun to flower, but is best grown in shade (which prevents flowering) if you require the leaves for culinary purposes. Costmary is also one of those herbs that dries well and retains its flavour (which was another reason for its popularity in flavouring beers). If drying, pick the leaves just before the plant flowers as this is when their flavour is at its most intense.



A recent Spanish study on the plant's essential oils revealed carvone as the main component (averaging 49.8% in the samples tested) with minor amounts of beta-thujone, t-dihydrocarvone, c-dihydrocarvone, dihydrocarveol isomer c-carveol and t-carveol. It should also be noted that beta-thujone, a toxic ketone was present at about 11.47% (not a problem if the plant is used in small quantities as a herb and it's cooked). It was used frequently in Ancient Roman cuisine, and during the Middle Ages was used to flavour ales (hence the name Alecost) and was a very popular medicinal herb in Elizabethan times, but has now fallen out of favour. The herb makes an interesting substitute for sage in stuffings and can be used (sparingly) in soups (particularly carrot soups), stews and salads. They also marry well with fruit-based cakes and pies. It can also be blended with melted butter as a dressing for new potatoes and peas. Note however, that the leaf has a sharp tang and should be used only sparingly, as it can rapidly be overpowering in any dish.