Bouquet garni: The secret weapon of French culinary masters
The most outstanding culinary masters enthusiastically use it in their kitchens because it imparts unparalleled flavor and aroma to many dishes. Creating a bouquet garni is simple so that we can experience this firsthand.
1:08 PM EDT, July 26, 2024
A bouquet garni is essentially a bundle of herbs. This name perfectly captures the essence of this popular addition to French cuisine. In the country along the Seine, aromatic herb bouquets have been used for hundreds of years, becoming an indispensable element of many traditional recipes.
What is a bouquet garni?
A bouquet garni is a collection of aromatic herbs, usually tied into small bundles and added to cooking to impart flavor to sauces or broths. A basic bouquet garni consists of thyme and bay leaves and can be enriched with leek greens, parsley sprigs, sage, rosemary, garlic, coriander, celery stalks, and oregano.
Bouquet garni is considered a symbolic element of the history of French cuisine. Mentions of it can be found in the book "Le Cuisinier François" from 1651 by the Burgundian chef François Pierre de La Varenne, who is regarded as an author of canonical texts on French culinary culture.
How to select herbs for a bouquet garni?
Fresh herbs are tied with string, while dried ones should be placed in a muslin bag. But how can we combine them to bring out the best in dishes? The renowned culinary critic Piotr Adamczewski advised that a bouquet of celery stalk, thyme branch, bay leaf, tarragon, and parsley sprigs is suitable for poultry dishes. A similar set can be used when preparing a game, adding a few juniper berries.
Beef will taste excellent after long stewing with a bouquet of thyme branches, rosemary, savory, orange peel, and parsley. For lamb, add mint instead of citrus peel. Pork yields the best flavor when treated with a bouquet of fresh sage, thyme, and marjoram, while seafood is enhanced with tarragon, dill, and lemon zest.
