The pimpinelle, a colloquial name for the small meadow button (Sanguisorba minor), is one of the traditional herbs in the Frankfurt green sauce. The herbaceous plant belongs to the rose family and thrives in almost all climate zones in Europe and Asia. Nowadays the herb has been almost forgotten both in the kitchen and as a medicinal herb.
What can you use Pimpinelle for?
The Pimpinelle (Small Meadow Button) can be used in the kitchen for herb butter, quark, salads or as part of the Frankfurt Green Sauce. In folk medicine it is used to treat inflammation, skin problems and sunburn.
Use in the kitchen
The young leaves and shoots of the small meadow button are primarily used in the kitchen. Older parts of the plant taste very bitter, so you should avoid using them. The young leaves, on the other hand, have a slightly spicy, cucumber-like taste. The leaves are mostly used fresh (and if necessary chopped) to prepare herb butter and quark. Pimpinelle also tastes great as a topping on buttered bread or in crisp salads. Furthermore, the pimpernelle traditionally belongs in the famous Frankfurt green sauce and in the Hamburg eel soup. The freshly harvested leaves are only added to warm dishes after cooking, as the herb loses its aroma very quickly. Pimpinelle harmonizes perfectly with herbs such as thyme, rosemary, borage, tarragon as well as garlic and onions. The leaves contain a lot of vitamin C.
Herbal vinegar with pimpinelle
- Take a few pimpinelle leaves and two sprigs each of thyme and rosemary.
- Place these in a hot-washed glass jar with a screw cap.
- Add two bay leaves and one or two cloves of garlic.
- Top up with a good white wine vinegar.
- Let the vinegar steep in a cool, dark place for about two weeks.
- After this time has elapsed, strain the herbs from the vinegar.
The herb vinegar with Pimpinelle tastes particularly good in fresh vegetable and leaf salads.
Use in folk medicine
Traditionally, both the leaves and the roots of the pimpinelle are used for inflammation, e.g. B. used in the mouth and throat. The decoction is also said to have a soothing effect on skin problems and sunburn. The popular name “blood stimulant” indicates that the plant was once used to treat external injuries.
Tips & Tricks
The leaves of the pimpernelle should not be dried, otherwise it will lose its characteristic aroma. Instead, you can freeze them or pickle them in vinegar or s alt, e.g. B. as a component of herbal s alt.