Where thyme is added: taste, properties, combination with products

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

In the world of spices, there are many different spices with their own history, unique taste characteristics, aromas and applications. Cooks cannot do without spices: with their help, they give dishes new shades, enhance the taste and create magnificent masterpieces from the usual set of products. Many professionals prefer to add thyme or thyme to their dishes, but it is less common in home use. However, many readers want to know where to add thyme seasoning, as well as its taste, properties, and combination with foods. In our article, you can also learn how fresh and dry thyme is used in medicine and cosmetology.

What is thyme?

Thyme also has a second popular name - thyme. In different places, it is also called Bogorodskaya grass, upland pepper, verest, greed, swan, lemon odor, incense. Heis a low growing aromatic shrub or semi-shrub. This is an essential oil plant, consisting of phenolic compounds - thymol, carvacrol and others.

Most housewives appreciate it as a spice. The leaves of the plant, which are located on thin stems, are considered a spicy additive. Small leaves of thyme have a rigid structure, an oblong shape, slightly reminiscent of leather plates. Later in the article you will learn where to add fresh and dry thyme. The seasoning has a pronounced aroma and a bitter spicy taste.

The ancient Greeks grew this plant in the temples of the goddess Aphrodite. They considered it a symbol of courage and strength. And this is no accident. The fragrant spice is also very beneficial for human he alth. It contains a lot of essential oils, resins, mineral and organic s alts, flavonoids. Because of such a rich composition, it is often included in many medicinal folk remedies. Thyme is harvested in Turkey and in European countries - Poland, Czech Republic, Greece.

Types of thyme

The most common type of thyme is creeping or common thyme. In addition to it, culinary specialists also use lemon and caraway plants. Each of them has its own peculiarity, thanks to which the taste of the dish is favorably emphasized. The pronounced spicy taste of common thyme is combined with many products.

Caraway thyme is considered more rare, but it gives dishes a special piquancy, goes well with meat, chicken and fish. The wild lemon variety has a citrus flavor that is especially suitable for desserts andseafood.

About 170 species of thyme grow in Russia and neighboring countries. The most common types of plants: creeping, flea, Ural, Siberian. Also found Crimean, Dagestan and Kyrgyz. Where is thyme added?

How thyme is used

Many people are interested to know not only where to add thyme, but also in what form. To get the most out of all its taste and aroma, it is better to use fresh twigs. But since this product is not always on store shelves, many use it in dried form. The merits of seasoning do not change from this. It takes time to reveal the aroma of thyme, so it is added to the dish at the very beginning of cooking. Dry leaves are stored in glass, tightly closed jars in a dark place. Thyme seed oil is also used in medicine and cosmetology.

Where and how much to add thyme seasoning?

The use of thyme in cooking is very wide. Now we will talk about where to add thyme to food. Often experiments are carried out with this seasoning and it is used even in the preparation of desserts. Here is a list of foods that dry and fresh thyme can be added to:

• Meat dishes. There is no more unusual dish with a minimum of ingredients than a piece of fresh meat with thyme, that is, a kebab, steak or chicken in the oven. To prepare the beef steak, put a frying pan on the fire, pour olive oil into it and add a few sprigs of thyme. When the pan is hot enough, put the meat into it andadd 4-5 crushed garlic cloves. Fry the steak on both sides and s alt it. This procedure will take you 2-4 minutes, depending on the desired degree of toasting. Transfer the meat to a plate, but without the garlic and thyme.
• Another meat dish with thyme will be baked chicken in the oven or on the grill. First, marinate the chicken meat with 50 grams of thyme leaves, 150 grams of butter and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Rub the chicken meat with this mixture and send to bake.



• Sauerkraut. Many people use sauerkraut as a separate dish and as an ingredient in salads and soups. There are many different culinary experiments to give such cabbage new flavors. Many are familiar with recipes for sauerkraut with cranberries, raisins, apples. Sometimes a whole bunch of spices with cumin seeds, coriander, allspice and, of course, thyme are used for fermentation. You can adjust the proportions of adding thyme yourself, depending on the desired saturation and intensity of taste.

Great addition to salads, fish and soups

We have listed above where thyme is added. In addition to the above dishes with thyme, there are also these:

• First courses. Thyme takes a long time to open, so add it to the broth at the very beginning of cooking. For soups, you can use both fresh and dried thyme.
• Vegetable salads. Let's give you an example of the classic Nicoise salad. To prepare it, take 200 gr. cherry tomatoes, 5 quail eggs, onebell pepper, cucumber, onion, anchovies and olives. Season everything with a mixture that includes olive oil, a pinch of sugar, a spoonful of mustard, thyme, rosemary, dill, black pepper and s alt.
• Fish dishes. Grilled salmon steak is perfectly complemented by the rich and pleasant taste of thyme. For frying, use olive oil to which add thyme. Add a few drops of lemon juice to the finished steak.

Tea with thyme

And where else is dried thyme added? It, like fresh thyme, is great for making tea, because it is an essential oil herb with a large amount of phenolic compounds and a number of other components. How thyme tea works on the body:

• cleanses the intestines from parasites;
• has an analgesic effect;
• has antibacterial properties;
• is an expectorant drink;
• positive effect on the digestive system.

Try making thyme tea. Pour boiling water over a few branches of the bush, bring to a boil. Add some honey after cooling and enjoy the spicy drink.

The combination of spices and its replacement with others

Thyme is used as a standalone spice with certain foods, but it can also be combined with other spices: oregano, bay leaf, parsley, rosemary, marjoram, tarragon, lavender. Thyme will be an excellent addition to cheeses, beans, carrots, eggplant, chicken,rabbit, pork, mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, honey, pears.

Thyme is considered a unique seasoning. What if you suddenly did not have a chance to purchase this spice? You can replace it with marjoram or oregano (oregano).

Where is fresh thyme used for medicinal purposes?

In ancient times, thyme was considered a divine herb that restores not only he alth, but also life to a person. The ancient Greeks sniffed it like tobacco. Thyme herb is rich in essential oils, tannins and bitter substances, gum, flavonoids, mineral and organic s alts. It is rich in vitamins A, B, C, magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, copper, selenium, zinc and iron.

Thyme is a good antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic, antispasmodic, it also has a slight hypnotic effect. No wonder it is used in traditional medicine. It is suitable for the preparation of decoctions, infusions, baths. It alleviates the condition of bronchitis, removes phlegm, has expectorant properties. It is sometimes used as a sedative and anticonvulsant.

Thyme essential oil is widely used in cosmetology. It is a great helper in strengthening hair and nails, so it is included in shampoos, lotions and balms.