Rue

Ruta graveolens · Herb

40 pairings

Rue (Ruta graveolens) is a hardy evergreen subshrub of the citrus family, prized for its intensely bitter, musky-pungent blue-green foliage. Once a staple of European and Mediterranean kitchens and apothecaries, it survives today as a sparingly used seasoning in Ethiopian and a few Italian dishes — and as a caution, since contact with the plant can blister the skin.

Picking a good onedrag

Just cut, stiff and chalky blue-greenLimp, yellowing, soft at the cut

Shop freshThe seasoning state: one or two small leaves season a whole dish. Never a handful, and skip rue entirely in pregnancy.Everyday best

LeafGreen, bloom rubbed thin, leaflets still flat

SprigStems firm, leaflets folding in a little

In a gloved handSprings back, less sap at the glands

Smell at the sprigMusky and bitter, the citrus edge fading

What to look for, from just cut, stiff and chalky blue-green to limp, yellowing, soft at the cut.

Preparing

Rue