Enjoyed for centuries as both a cooking herb, a medicine and a spiritual aid, sage is popular around the world for it's highly aromatic, minty, peppery flavor and woodsy fragrance.

Botanical name: Salvia officinalis L.

There are over 900 varieties of sage plant, each with distinctive taste and appearance. Salvia officinalis-- Latin for "healing powers" and also known as garden sage-- is the sage most often stocked in the kitchen. A member of the mint (Lamiaceae) family, it's a perennial with silvery grey-green, fuzzy leaves.

An ancient plant, sage was used medicinally by the Greeks and Romans, who believed it would both lengthen life and serve as an antidote to snake bites. Sage was drunk as a medicinal tea in the Middle Ages, and grown by Charlemagne on imperial farms in the 9th century. In the 17th century, the Chinese traded their tea leaves with Dutch traders for sage leaves. Its reputation for strengthening the memory-- hence the "wise man" definition-- is long-lived as well. Sage was the most-used cooking seasoning up until World War II, when it was replaced by oregano.

Directions: Use sage with a light touch, because it can easily overpower a dish. On the other hand, it stands up well to long-cooking without any loss of flavor. Because it's strong, pair it with other strong flavors like garlic and pepper.

Suggested Uses:
Try sage in salad dressings, chowder, fish and cheese dishes. Add it to breads and muffins, beans, poultry and squash dishes, breads, and tomato sauces. Sage is excellent in butter for pasta, and delicious in tea, alone or partnered with other herbs.

Sage is native to the northern Mediterranean area but is now cultivated in Europe and the United States-- in California, Washington, and Oregon. The best sage is thought to be Dalmation sage, from the Dalmation area (now known as Croatia) of Yugoslavia.