Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Herb guide to Sage along with all the Sage containing recipes presented on this site, with 370 recipes in total.

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 information about Sage and a listing of all the Sage-based recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Sage as a major herb flavouring.

Common Sage, Salvia officinalis (also known as common sage, garden sage, golden sage, kitchen sage, true sage, culinary sage, Dalmatian sage, and broadleaf sage) is an evergreen subshrub with woody stems belonging to the Lamiaceae or mint family. It is a very common plant in the herb garden and is a native of Southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

There are numerous cultivars of common sage which can vary in leaf size and colour, flower colour and foliage pattern. The wild type has silvery-green leaves with lavender flowers but cultivars range in colour from pale green to red with many variegated leaves. Typically garden sage grows to about 60cm tall (though there are dwarf varieties) and about 60cm in diameter with silvery-green leaves that are oblong and grow up to 6.5cm long and 2.5cm wide. The leaves are rugose on the upper side, and nearly white underneath due to the many short soft hairs. The flowers, which are most commonly lavender coloured, appear in late spring and summer (and are edible).

Sage leaves have a characteristic aromatic aroma with a bitter overtone. The leaves typically contain 1 to 2.5% essential oil, which can be very variable in constituents but which typically contains mostly thujone (up to 60%), 1,8-cineol, camphor, borneol, bornyl esters, α-pinene and salvene. Sage leaves also contain tannic acid, oleic acid, ursonic acid, ursolic acid, cornsole, cornsolic acid, fumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, niacin, nicotinamide, flavones, flavonoid glycosides, and estrogenic substances.

The English name, sage ultimately derives from the Classical Latin name of the plant, salvia which, itself is derived from the Latin salvere (literally, 'to save') referring to the healing properties long attributed to the various sage species. Indeed, the plant has commonly been recommended at one time or another for virtually every ailment by various herbals.

It is believed that the Romans brought common sage to Europe from Egypt as a medicinal plant. It was one of the plants that Charlemagne, during the 9th century recommended be grown in all royal gardens. Subsequently it was grown in monastery gardens and spread from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe. The plant had a high reputation throughout the Middle Ages, with many sayings referring to its healing properties and value

As well as the European sages (Salvia officinalis, Dalmatian Sage Salvia officinalis ssp minor, Spanish Sage Salvia officinalis ssp lavandulifolia and Greek Sage Salvia triloba [which is not used culinarily outside Greece]), there are also members of the sage that are native in Central America. These tend to have leaves with fruitier aromas that are typically variants of S greggii or S rutilans (eg Pineapple Sage, Peach Sage, Tangerine Sage, Honey Melon Sage, Blackcurrant Sage and Lemon Sage). There is also Guava Sage S darcyi and fruit sage Salvia dorisiana. Typically these are used as ornamental aromatic plants and apart from Pineapple Sage (where the leaves and flowers are eaten) they tend not to be used culinarily, though they are sometimes used to make decoctions in vodka.



Sage leaves can be used either fresh or dried and may also be used as an infusion to make a tea. Sage is also used as a cheese flavouring (eg Sage Derby) though probably it's commonest use is as the dried leaves employed in sage and onion stuffing. The leaves have a slightly peppery flavour and they go well as a flavouring to fatty meats though it can also be fried fresh to make a dressing for oily fish.



Indeed, the usage of sage is very much dependent on culture and in Britain it is mostly used as a constituent of bread-based stuffings for fowl or as a flavouring for fatty mats. In French cuisine it is used for cooking white meats and for giving body to vegetable soups. Whilst in Germany it is used in sausage dishes. Traditionally it is used as a flavouring whilst roasting mutton both in the Balkans and the Middle East. Due to its bitter overtones sage also works well with tomato-based sauces. Sage is also one of the classic herbs in the British 'savoury herb' mix of herbs used in flavouring stews (along with parsley, thyme, savory and rosemary).

The recipes given below contain sage as an important or dominant component. However, you can also access all the recipes on this site that contain sage as an ingredient.