Europe & Mediterranean

Chervil

Anthriscus cerefolium.

Leaf.

Part Used

Fresh (dries and cooks poorly, losing most of its delicate character).

Form

Cerfeuil (French).

France, broader Europe.

Delicate, subtly anisic, often described as a milder cross between parsley and tarragon.

One of the four classical fines herbes, used raw or added at the very end of cooking.

Fines herbes; French omelets; light cream sauces.

Butter, eggs, chicken, other fines herbes (parsley, chives, tarragon).

Add only at the very end of cooking or as a raw garnish – heat destroys its delicate flavor almost immediately.

Fresh keeps only a few days refrigerated; among the most short-lived fresh herbs in this reference.

Flat-leaf parsley with a small pinch of tarragon approximates the general direction.

Considered one of the most delicate herbs in classical French cooking, requiring careful last-minute handling to preserve its flavour.

Fines herbes.