Savory

Satureja hortensis · Herb

40 pairings

Savory (Satureja hortensis) is a slender, aromatic herb of the mint family whose small, narrow leaves carry a warm, peppery, thyme-like scent with a faint marjoram sweetness. Long known as the bean herb for its affinity with legumes, it comes in two main kitchen forms — sharp, tender summer savory and stronger, woodier winter savory — and is one of the backbone herbs of the herbes de Provence blend.

Picking a good onedrag

Just cut, stiff and pepperyYellow, shedding, slimy

Shop freshThe all-rounder: bean pot, lentils, roast meat, herb butter.Everyday best

Leaf colourGreen, a few yellow leaves low down

The sprigBends before it snaps, leaves all on

Cut stemCut end browning, stem still firm

Smell when rubbedScent comes when a leaf is pinched

What to look for, from just cut, stiff and peppery to yellow, shedding, slimy.

Keeping ittap a band

A domestic fridge holds it about 7× longer than the counter.

Humidity

95-100%

Near-saturated, 95-100%: those narrow leaves go papery in dry fridge air within a day, and the sprig droops from the tip back.

Airflow

Perforated bag, not sealed

A perforated bag, not a sealed one: shut tight the bunch sweats and moulds at the cut ends, left open to the fridge it dries out.

Yellows and sheds its leaves

Barely produces it, badly hurt by it: ethylene off ripening fruit yellows the leaves and shakes them off the stem, fastest in a warm kitchen.

Preparing