Lovage

Lovage Levisticum officinale is a perennial herb. It prefers to grow in full sun and can reach a height of over six feet. Lovage is native to Iran and Afghanistan. It was enjoyed as a culinary herb by the classical Greeks and Romans. It was probably introduced into both France and Britain by the Romans. When he issued the Capitulum de Villis in about 800 AD, the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne required that lovage (levisticum in Carolingian Latin) be grown on all his imperial estates.

The leaves, roots, and seeds of lovage are all edible. The leaves have the aroma and flavor of celery. Some chefs also detect the flavor of parsley. The leaves can be used in salads, soups, stews, and casseroles. The leafstalks and stem bases can be blanched like celery. The roots can be cooked as a vegetable, although in older plants they are very fibrous. The seeds are dried and used as a spice, reminiscent of fennel seeds.

In Medieval Europe this herb was not widely used for medicinal purposes. Infusions of the seeds or the roots were used to treat colic and flatulence in children. A mild calming herbal tea was brewed from the dried leaves. In England an alcoholic lovage cordial is traditionally mixed with brandy in the ration of 2:1 as a winter drink. More recently the hollow stems of lavage have been used as straws when serving Bloody Mary cocktails.

Despite its limited popularity lovage deserves to be grown in a modern herb garden. It is one of those old-fashioned herbs that serves best as a conversation starter. New visitors to your herb garden are almost certain to ask “What is that attractive and unusual herb?”

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