Herb
Levisticum officinale
S tier
Levisticum officinale is true lovage—a tall perennial with hollow stems and leaves that taste like fierce celery-yeast stock cubes grown on a plant. A few leaves season soups deeply; seeds and stems also have culinary roles. Species certainty separates garden lovage from lookalike umbellifers. Use young leaves sparingly in broths, potato salads, and herb salts. Plants are long-lived once established in temperate gardens.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
Herb SaltSeedSoupStemYoung Leaf
Traits
CeleryCelery IntenseHerbalIntenseLeaf Stem SeedPerennialSavouryTrue Species
History
DE
Medieval European monasteries grew Levisticum officinale for kitchen and medicine.
GB
English kitchen gardens adopted lovage widely.
Botany fixed Levisticum officinale as garden lovage.
Chef gardens revived officinale for celery-like intensity.