Sage in our A-Z - Cooking Index
Sage is a small evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is native to the Mediterranean region.
In Britain and sage is used with onion for poultry or pork stuffing and also in sauces. In French cuisine, sage is used for cooking white meat and in vegetable soups. Germans often use it in sausage dishes, and sage forms the dominant flavouring in the English Lincolnshire sausage. Sage is also common in Italian cooking. Sage is sauteed in olive oil and butter until crisp, then plain or stuffed pasta is added (burro e salvia). In the Balkans and the Middle East, it is used when roasting mutton.
Sage has a fragrant aroma and an astringent but warm flavor.
Sage is grown in the United States. It also is grown in Dalmatia and Albania.
Sage was believed to increase mental acuity in Roman times. It was used in the Middle Ages as a healing herb to treat memory loss, epilepsy and fevers, infection, intestinal problems and eye problems. Charlemagne had it grown in his royal gardens.
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