Bouquet Garni

The bouquet garni has become so standardized that chefs often add it to a stew with little thought as to how the herbs meld with the stew’s other components. (See Chopping Herbs for a basic version in different sizes.) Rarely will parsley, thyme, and bay leaf—the standard components of a bouquet garni—clash with the other aromatic ingredients in a stew, but often a bouquet garni can be used to give a stew individuality and distinction, with the addition of other herbs. Early French recipes often called for basil and hyssop in a bouquet garni; Italian and southern French cooks will often add marjoram, wild thyme, or oregano. In Mexico, a piece of cinnamon stick will sometimes make its way into the bouquet garni. Medieval cooks, more attuned to spices than herbs, often simmered their meats in elaborate combinations of saffron, ginger, cinnamon, and other spices.