Mirto, Mortella

Myrtle

Appears in

Published 1986

About

A limestone shrub which can become a tree, another survivor of the ice ages; it grows by the sea, was once sacred to Aphrodite and is a symbol of death. It has exquisite white flowers and purple-blackish fruits which one eats in autumn when walking through the maquis. The fragrant leaves and seeds are much used in Sardinian cooking.

The ancient Romans made myrtle wine by immersing the ripe fruits in mosto (fermenting grape juice) at vintage time, leaving it to ferment, and then decanting it. The fruits were also used in Roman cooking, poetically enough in relation to wild boar, also a death symbol – being hunted in the dying year when fruits the myrtle.

Become a Premium Member to access this page

Unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of the world’s best cookbooks
Over 150,000 recipes with thousands more added every month
Recommended by leading chefs and food writers
Powerful search filters to match your tastes
Create collections and add reviews or private notes to any recipe
Swipe to browse each cookbook from cover-to-cover
Manage your subscription via the My Membership page

Already a member?

Monthly plan

Annual plan

'Brilliant app for foodies'

'Spotify of cookbooks'

Part of

Some Flower Buds, Seeds, Fronds, Pods, Nuts, Fruits

The licensor does not allow printing of this title