Tansy

tansy Tanacetum vulgare, a herb whose name is supposedly derived by abbreviation from ‘athanasia’, the draught which gave Ganymede immortality. A tall and umbelliferous plant of northern temperate zones, it stays long in flower, and this, according to Dodoens (1578), caused it to be associated with everlasting life. The flowers are pretty, like yellow buttons, and the scent is attractively refreshing and spicy.

Tansy was grown extensively in the past for both culinary and medical uses. It preceded mint as an accompaniment to lamb, and was used to flavour puddings, cakes, and egg dishes, besides giving its name to a dish called ‘a tansy’, which was like a large flat omelette or pancake, associated especially with Easter. The connection between tansy and eggs was very strong in England. However, the ingredients of a tansy could vary considerably, as the quotations from 16th- and 17th-century sources given by Eleanor Rohde (1936) demonstrate. Although one 15th-century ‘tansey’ (see Hess, 1981) contained only eggs and tansy, other herbs such as spinach and sorrel were commonly used with tansy, and it is safe to assume that the quantity of tansy was relatively small, since its flavour is strong. Evelyn (1699) referred to ‘its domineering relish sparingly mixt with our cold Sallet and much fitter (tho’ in very small quantity) for the Pan, being qualified with the Juices of other fresh Herbs’.