The sweet umbel, also called aniseed chervil, sweet chervil or myrrh chervil, can be used in many ways in the kitchen. Even liqueur is made from the plant with its aniseed aroma. Tips for using sweet umbel.
How to use sweet umbel in the kitchen?
The use of sweet umbel in the kitchen is versatile: roots, leaves, flowers and seeds are edible. You can prepare soups, salads, drinks and hearty dishes or use sweet umbel seeds as a seasoning. Liqueur and syrup made from sweet umbel are also possible.
Sweet umbel has many uses
Almost all parts of the sweet umbel plant are edible and are used in the kitchen:
- Roots
- leaves
- Flowers
- Seeds
The roots are edible raw and cooked. They are prepared in the same way as parsnips and add a special touch to soups, salads and hearty dishes.
The fresh leaves are chopped into small pieces and sprinkled over the dish as a seasoning for salads and other dishes.
Make syrup and sparkling wine from sweet umbel
A very tasty drink can be made from the flowers of the sweet umbel. The flowers are placed in water and later strained. They can also be baked in dough like elderflowers.
Use sweet umbel seeds
The seeds of the sweet umbel that are still green, i.e. milk-ripe, are collected. You can use the seeds to season hearty, savory and sweet dishes alike.
The combination of fish and sweet umbel seeds is very delicate. You can also simply sprinkle the seeds over the pizza.
However, you should not use too much, as the sweet aroma is very intense and quickly masks other flavors.
Liqueur made from sweet umbel seeds
If the stocks of sweet umbels in the garden have become too large, simply make a liqueur. The taste is reminiscent of the famous Greek aniseed schnapps Ouzo. It is just as digestible, especially after high-fat food.
To do this, paint the seeds as finely as possible to release the aromatics. They are then placed in alcohol that is as neutral in taste as possible, such as vodka and sugar, and left to mature there for about three months.
Use of sweet umbel as a scented plant
The anise-like scent of the sweet umbel makes it particularly suitable for adding a special touch to scented gardens. It is also used for scented potpourris, scented bouquets and scented hedges.
Good nectar plant
The umbel flowers are also an enrichment for every garden from an ecological point of view. The scent attracts numerous garden creatures such as bees, bumblebees and butterflies.
Tip
Naturopaths suspect that the angelic sweet used by Hildegard von Bingen was the perennial known today as sweet umbel. It is used as a blood purifier as well as for coughs and stomach problems.
