Rosemary is usually cooked either fresh or dried when braising meat, fish or vegetable dishes. The very aromatic herb has an intense, quite bitter aroma that goes well with many dishes.
Is rosemary good for eating?
Rosemary is edible and is often used in meat, fish or vegetable dishes. The leathery leaves and delicate flowers can be eaten. However, rosemary should be dosed sparingly as it can be toxic in large quantities.
Dose rosemary sparingly
Due to its very aromatic taste, rosemary should only be used very sparingly, otherwise its aroma will dominate the entire dish and quickly make it taste too intense. You can use the herb in different ways: Whole rosemary sprigs can be simmered with the dish and then removed before serving - the rosemary stems are too hard to eat. On the other hand, you can eat the needles without hesitation, but you should cook them chopped up if possible. They are quite tough and therefore difficult to chew. However, only add ground rosemary shortly before the end of the cooking time, otherwise its aroma will evaporate - the smaller you cut the rosemary, the more the essential oils will evaporate.
Is rosemary poisonous?
Rosemary - like many other herbs - is slightly toxic, i.e. poisonous. However, you would have to consume quite large quantities for this poison to be effective. Caution is particularly advised with extended rosemary baths, because after a while these can cause the opposite of what they are supposed to do: instead of stimulating the circulation, they lead to circulatory problems. In theory, you could eat rosemary raw, but you probably won't like it in this form - the leathery leaves are quite tough. Although symptoms of rosemary poisoning are quite rare, it can still cause intolerance in sensitive people.
Are the flowers edible?
Not only the leaves and young shoots of rosemary are edible, the pretty flowers of the spice bush can also be eaten safely. For example, they are ideal for garnishing dishes and other salads. By the way, rosemary develops the highest concentration of aromatic essential oils during its flowering period, which is why you can harvest the herb even when it is blooming.
Tips & Tricks
Don't worry if your cats like to nibble on the strongly scented rosemary: the herb is not poisonous to cats or dogs. However, as is so often the case, it is the dose that makes the difference: too much rosemary can certainly lead to intolerance reactions in pets, but does not have any serious consequences.
