Herb gardens in Ancient Rome would have been filled with culinary herbs. Here's what to plant in your Roman herb garden.
Garlands of Parsley
Herbs were of great importance to the ancient Romans. They would crown their victorious soldiers with bay leaves; use Vervain (Verbena officinalis) to purify their altars after sacrifice, and distribute garlands of parsley to their guests at banquets to discourage them from becoming intoxicated and to counteract strong odours.
Lavender and Houseleeks
All this information is contained in Jekka's Complete Herb Book (pub. Kyle Cathie, £25). In the section on sorrel (Rumex), she says that Roman soldiers used to suck the leaves when they were thirsty, while Roman doctors prescribed it as a diuretic. Fragrant lavender was commonly added to Roman bath water - the word is apparently derived from the Latin lava, meaning ‘to wash’. And the humble houseleek (Sempervivum) was of enormous importance. The Romans thought that the plants protected their houses from lightning and fire, so they used to grow it in urns in their courtyards. The Emperor Charlemagne even ordered that houseleeks should be planted on every Roman roof.
Culinary Herbs
Of course, the Romans also used herbs for culinary purposes. A Roman garden would have included a wide range of culinary herbs and in her book, Jekka McVicar has designed one for you to recreate. It includes dill (Anethum graveolens) which you can use as a flavouring for soup, or to add spiciness to grilled or boiled fish. Then there are Welsh onions, coriander (which the Romans combined with cumin and vinegar to make a meat preservative), hyssop, and creeping Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) the leaves of which have a strong peppermint flavour. She also suggests planting myrtle (Myrtis communis), once considered an aphrodisiac. Today the leaves can be used to add flavour to roast pork or barbecued lamb, while Jekka says that the dried berries can be ground up and used as a spice for game or venison.
A Caraway Love Potion
Catmint (Nepeta), the young shoots of which can be used in salads, also had a place in the Roman herb garden. In fact, it's thought that the species’ name might have come from the Roman town Nepeti, where catmint grew in abundance. They also grew parsley, liquorice and alecost (Tanecutum balsamita) - also known as costmary, a herb which was once used to flavour beer. Jekka also includes Caraway (Carum carvi) in her Roman garden. Its seeds were used for culinary purposes, but the plant was also said to offer protection from witches, and could be used to make a brew that would act as a love potion.
A lesser known herb that they grew was Elecampane (Inula helenium), the roots of which used to be candied and eaten as a sweetmeat. Apparently the Emperor Julius Augustus enjoyed it enormously and thought it helped his digestion.
Find out where to enjoy dishes from ancient Rome today.
