Herb
Grosso
C tier
Grosso is the dominant lavandin cultivar of Provence—long violet spikes, massive oil yield, and a camphor-lavender aroma built for soap and bulk fragrance, not delicate pastry. Plants are vigorous and sterile. Do not grind Grosso into crème brûlée. If used at all in food, keep to assertive savoury contexts and tiny doses. Know it so you can avoid mislabelled “culinary” hedges.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
Avoid DessertsFragranceIndustrial Oil
Traits
Camphor StrongDominant LavandinHigh CamphorNon-CulinaryNon-Culinary DefaultOil WorkhorseVigorous
History
FR
Grosso lavandin was selected and rapidly became Provence’s workhorse oil cultivar.
FR
Vast plantings of Grosso defined modern lavender landscapes tourists photograph.
Export dried Grosso filled sachets worldwide, sometimes mis-sold for cooking.
Culinary educators still use Grosso as the example of non-baking lavandin.