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| Flowering thyme |
Dried thyme is also a part of the herbes de Provence, a spice mixture from Provence (Southern France; see lavender). Thyme is furthermore popular in the non-European parts of the Mediterranean; for example, the Jordan condiment zahtar (see sumac) contains thyme as vital aroma. Another example is dukka, a typical spice mixture of Egypt. It is a slightly salted combination of roasted seeds (sesame, hazelnut), coriander, cumin, black pepper and thyme, predominantly used to flavour meat. Egyptian white bread eaten together with olive oil and dukka gives a very simple, but delicious meal.
In Central Europe, Thyme is most used for soups, fish, meat, poultry and eggs. Thyme, particularly lemon thyme, is a great addition to herbal vinegar (see dill). Industrially, thyme is often combined with marjoram for sausages and goes well with bay or boldo leaves. Cheese is sometimes flavoured with thyme.
In Britain, thyme is the most popular culinary herb besides mint. It also plays am important rôle in the cooking of the United States, particularly of the East Coast. The Creole cuisine of New Orleans (the only true regional cuisine of the US, see also sassafras) is particularly famous for its extensive use of thyme. A cooking technique peculiar to Creole cooking is the so-called blackening: Meat or fish fillets are dipped into molten butter, then coated with a spice mix and then fried very quickly at high temperature in a heavy skillet, without any further oil. The spices should become dark brown (“blackened”), but charring is not, in any case, desired. A typical spice mix for this purpose might, besides quite much salt and thyme, contain medium-hot paprika, white pepper, thyme, oregano, garlic and onion powder.
Thyme's popularity extends even more South: it is common in Central American
cuisine. Jerk, the most famous culinary export item of Jamaica (besides
rum, of course), often contains thyme; see allspice
for more information.
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| A pubescent (hairy) thyme variety called wood pine |
There are various opinions concerning the question whether herbs should be better used fresh or dried. Several herbs lose their flavour partially or in full when dried: Examples include coriander, parsley, tarragon, bear's garlic and dill, but also curry leaves and lemon grass. Advanced drying technology may in some cases preserve the original flavour, at least in part; but these herbs are, even with best dehydration equipment, always better used fresh than dried. Better preservation may be achieved with special preparations, (e.g., pesto made from basil). The loss of fragrance is mainly due to two causes: Aroma components escape to the air (evaporation) or may be chemically destroyed, mainly by oxidation.
Some herbs, however, show a different, even paradoxical, behaviour: Their spiciness actually increases when dried. Sometimes, one reads an explanation of that effect stating that on drying, structures in the plant tissue collapse which results in increased mobility and availability of the essential oil which can now easier diffuse into the foods. Besides thyme, that phenomenon can be observed in oregano and rosemary: For all three herbs, the (skilfully) dried herb surpasses the fresh one in intensity by a factor of two or three.
Fresh thyme is not only less intensive that dried thyme, but is has a more soft
flavour, less smoky, and fits perfectly to Mediterranean vegetables (e.g., ratatouille, see lavender) or fish.
Dried thyme, on the other hand, has a dominating smokiness that comes best in
spicy foods, particularly meats (e.g., in the blackening procedure
referred to above).
