Herb
French Tarragon
S tier
French tarragon is the true culinary clone of Artemisia dracunculus—anise-sweet, delicate, and sterile-flowered so it must be propagated by division. Béarnaise, chicken, and fines herbes depend on this perfume; Russian seed-grown types cannot replace it. Add leaves at the end of cooking; heat flattens the anise. Plants need winter chill and hate wet feet. If a nursery sells tarragon seed, it is not French.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
BéarnaiseButterChickenFines HerbesVinegar
Traits
AniseAnise SweetClassicCulinary CloneDelicateSauce EssentialSterile FlowerSweet
History
FR
French classical cookery elevated true tarragon in sauces.
FR
Béarnaise and related sauces fixed French tarragon as essential.
Horticulture stressed vegetative propagation of French clones.
Chefs worldwide insisted on French over Russian tarragon.