Salad herbs and herb mixtures
Salad herbs are edible green leaves that comprise all or most of a prepared salad. These leaves are used for food and not only in small quantities for flavour. Salad herbs are typically eaten raw and do not require cooking or stir-frying, as in the case of potherbs (spinaches). Potherbs are here considered to be vegetables and are excluded from the following list, but note that some are used for both purposes (e.g. Swiss chard, celery cabbage, spinach and turnip). Microgreens are the seedlings of salad herbs and other edible greens that are harvested within a few days after germination. They are carefully cut at ground level when less than 25 mm (1 in.) long and comprise a short stem, two cotyledons and the first two true leaves. Herbs commonly used for microgreen production include red beetroot and white or variously coloured Swiss chard, lettuce and cress.
List of salad herbs
angelica (Angelica archangelica)
anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
bear’s garlic (Allium ursinum)
beefsteak plant (Perilla frutescens)
celery cabbage (Brassica napa var. pekinensis)
chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)
chicory (Cichorium intybus)
Chinese chives – see garlic chives
Chinese parsley – see cilantro
chop suey greens (Chrysanthemum coronarium)
coriander leaves – see cilantro
corn mint – see field mint
corn salad (Valerianella locusta)
crown daisy – see chop suey greens
dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
endive (Cichorium endivia)
fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)
field mint (Mentha arvensis)
French tarragon – see tarragon
garden nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
garlic chives (Allium tuberosum)
green pepper, sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum)
horse mint – see under spearmint
Indian borage (Plectranthus amboinicus)
Indian cress (Tropaeolum majus)
Italian parsley (Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum)
Japanese bunching onion (Allium fistulosum)
kangkong – see water spinach
laksa leaf (Persicaria odorata)
land cress (Barbarea verna)
leeks (Allium ameloprasum)
lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
lemon thyme (Thymus ×citriodora)
lovage (Levisticum officinale)
Malabar spinach (Basella alba)
mint (Mentha species)
mitsuba (Cryptotaenia japonica)
mustard greens (Brassica juncea)
orache (Atriplex hortensis)
parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens ‘Variegata’)
salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor)
shallot (Allium cepa var. ascalonicum)
sorrel, French sorrel (Rumex scutatus)
sorrel, garden sorrel (Rumex acetosa)
sow thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)
spilanthes, pará cress (Spilanthes acmella)
spinach (Spinacea oleracea)
sweet balm – see lemon balm
sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum)
sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata)
sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum)
Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris)
tarragon, estragon (Artemisia dracunculus)
turnip, Japanese greens (Brassica rapa)
Vietnamese coriander / mint (Persicaria odorata)
water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica)
watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum)
wild rocket (Diplotaxus tenuifolia)
winter cress – see land cress
winter purslane (Montia perfoliata)
Classical herb combinations have been developed in many parts of the world to flavour dishes and sauces or to enjoy as salads. The best-known examples are from Europe but there are undoubtedly many more examples from Asian culinary traditions that are not yet well known outside their regions of origin.
Bouquet garni refers to a bunch of aromatic herbs that is traditionally used (especially in French cooking) to flavour a sauce or stock. The herbs (typically parsley, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, sage and even cloves) are tied together in a bunch or wrapped in a piece of bacon or cheesecloth. This allows for the easy removal of the herbs and prevents them from dispersing into the dish.
Fines herbes are a mixture of chopped, aromatic but mild-tasting “fine herbs” that are popular in French and Mediterranean cuisines. The classical mixture comprises fresh leaves of chives, chervil, parsley and tarragon but nowadays other herbs such as basil, bay leaf, cress, cicely, fennel, lemon balm and marjoram, rosemary and thyme are sometimes added. It is traditionally used to flavour sauces, cream cheeses, omelettes, sautéed vegetables and some meat dishes.
Herbes à soupe are traditionally used in France to flavour soups and stews and include the tops (leaves) of various vegetables such as carrots, celery, parsley and radishes.
Herbes de Provence are a Provençal mixture of fresh or dried thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, basil and savory that was traditionally used to flavour grilled meat. The concept originally simply referred to the herbs typical of Provence but nowadays commercial mixtures under this name are widely sold in supermarkets. These often include lavender and fennel to create mixtures that are not necessarily part of traditional French cuisine.
Herbes vénitiennes are a mixture of aromatic herbs (tarragon, chervil, parsley and sorrel) traditionally used in France to flavour butter.
Persillade is a classic French seasoning made of chopped parsley (persil in French) and garlic and traditionally added at the end of the cooking time.
Pickle herbs are a mixture of fresh leaves that is used to flavour pickled cucumbers. Fresh dill herb is an essential ingredient, often accompanied by raspberry leaves, green onions and various other herbs depending on local preferences.
Potherbs in the French tradition included chard, lettuce, orache, purslane, sorrel and spinach. It was used not only to flavour soups and stews, but also as garnishes, salad ingredients and vegetables. Nowadays the term is more widely used for almost any green leafy vegetable than is eaten by itself as cooked spinach or incorporated into other dishes.
Sabzi khordan is an Iranian (Persian) mixture of fresh herbs (served with lunch and dinner) that typically includes basil, cilantro, cress, fennel, fenugreek, peppermint, radishes, za’atar, savory, tarragon and Welsh onion.
Tabbouleh is a Syrian salad made from chopped herbs (parsley, mint and lettuce), bulgur (cracked wheat) and other ingredients.