Chervil Nutrition Facts

Chervil, or Anthriscus Cerefolium, is a herb used in cooking. It is in the family Apiaceae, which also includes parsley and cilantro. But if you don’t like cilantro, don’t worry: Chervil doesn’t taste like cilantro. It was first found in the Caucasus, but now it lives in Europe, Asia, and North America. Chervil is a delicate herb that is often used in French cooking. It is pronounced SHER-vil. It has a mild taste and comes from the same family as parsley. This spring herb goes well with eggs. Some people call it “French parsley.”

Chervil

References: Effect of nitrogen and potassium fertilizer on herbage and oil yield of chervil plant (Anthriscus cerefolium L.)

The chervil leaves are nearly always used fresh but can be preserved by deep freezing or by making a pesto-like preparation. Chervil’s principal use is as a flavoring agent for culinary purposes, but it has also been used for medicinal purposes (Liopa-Tsakalidi and Barouchas, 2011). (Liopa-Tsakalidi and Barouchas, 2011). The origin of salad chervil lies in southeastern Europe and western Asia. Chervil plants usually reach a height of about 50 cm and have a straight, branchy, and hollow stem. At first, the leaves are light green, but as they age, they turn reddish-brown.

Chervil Nutrition Facts

Chervil Nutrition Facts

What is Chervil?

Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium), also known as “French parsley,” is a herb that can be used in cooking and medicine (as many herbs and spices are). The leaves of Chervil are green, thin, and curly. If you’ve seen flat-leaf parsley or carrot greens, Chervil looks similar but a bit lighter green. Small white flowers also grow on it. Some say it tastes like a mix of tarragon and parsley, with hints of anise or licorice. It has a “delicate” and “light” smell, which means it won’t overpower other flavors in recipes, like other herbs or fine olive oils.

Chervil looks like flat-leaf parsley that is a little paler, more delicate, and more finely shaped, but with leaves that are more frilly and thinner. Chervil bunches can have leaves so close together that they look almost like flowers. Avoid Chervil which has real flowers, because that usually means the herb has become bitter.

What does Chervil Taste?

Chervil smells and tastes like a delicate mix of tarragon and parsley. Chervil has a mild flavor with hints of licorice or anise, but those tastes don’t come through strongly. If you don’t have Chervil, but a recipe calls for it, fresh parsley, tarragon, or a mix of the two would work well. Chives or dill could also be used in place of Chervil in egg dishes, but their tastes will differ.

Chervil tastes like a toned-down, fine, and delicate version of a cross between tarragon and parsley, with just a tiny hint of anise or mint in the background, but neither of those flavors comes through. As you might expect from how it looks, Chervil has a mild, subtle flavor, a little like parsley but with a sophisticated, warm anise flavor. Chervil’s name comes from chlorophyllin, which means “the herb of happiness” or “joy.”Chervil has a mild flavor and is light. Anise, which is found in licorice, fennel, and tarragon, is the flavor that stands out the most. In Chervil, this flavor isn’t as strong. Some say that Chervil’s taste is like a mix of parsley and tarragon.

What are the Uses of Chervil?

Because Chervil has a mild taste, it is usually used in salads and soups where the other flavors won’t overpower it. It is added at the very end because the flavor won’t last if it is cooked for a long time. Chervil goes well in omelets and is often used to make a classic sauce called Béarnaise.

Chervil, parsley, tarragon, and chives are part of the fines herbes mix. In French cooking, this blend is used on chicken, eggs, and salads. If you have Chervil, you could put it in herb-infused oil, herb butter, or herb pesto and serve it with fish, chicken, eggs, soups, salads, or bread. For example, use it to make roasted cod with wine and herb butter. When Chervil is cooked for a long time, its lemon-and-anise taste is lost. Because it is so delicate, it should be added to cooked foods at the very end or used as a garnish. Dried Chervil is not very useful.

Chervil is a key salad ingredient in southern France and northern Italy. It is used in soups and sauces, as well as with fish and eggs. In fact, along with arugula and endive, it is one of the typical greens in French mesclun. It is also mixed with tarragon, chives, and parsley in fines herbes blends. The flowers can also be used in salads. Chervil is one of the herbs that go into fines herbes.

The other herbs are parsley, tarragon, and chives. Fines herbes is a delicate blend of herbs used extensively in French cooking. Chervil goes well with eggs, whether you put it in an omelet or sprinkle it on scrambled eggs. It can also add a fresh kick to salads with a light dressing.

Growing Chervil

In a herb garden, you can grow Chervil. It can be grown in a small pot on a windowsill or in a garden that gets some sun and some shade. It grows to about 2 feet in height. It can be grown from spring or late-fall-planted seeds. Sow seeds every three to four weeks throughout the growing season to keep getting crops. When the leaves are fully open and soft, it is ready to be picked. You can let the leaves dry in the air and store them.

Once it gets hot in the summer, Chervil will go to seed, just like its close relative parsley. It gets a bitter taste, blooms, and sets seeds when it goes to seed. Be careful because slugs seem to like Chervil in the garden.

When and Where to Buy?

Herb chervil grows in the spring. It will appear in winter in warmer climates and at the end of winter in temperate climates or from growers who use greenhouses. Besides that, fresh Chervil is usually only available in cooler places in the spring and early summer. Heat will make chervil bolt, go to seed, and turn bitter, just like it does with parsley and cilantro.

On the other hand, Chervil isn’t as common as parsley or cilantro, so you’ll probably have to look for it at specialty stores or farmers’ markets. If you can’t find Chervil in the stores near you, you might want to try growing it yourself. It does well in gardens with a good mix of sun and shade. It also grows well in a small pot on a windowsill as part of a classic kitchen herb garden.

Substitutes for Chervil

On the one hand, nothing else will taste like Chervil. On the other hand, parsley or tarragon (or, even better, a combination of the two) can add that fresh, green herb note to a recipe when Chervil is unavailable. Even though the taste is very different, Chervil can be replaced with chives or dill, which also go well with eggs and delicate greens. Even though you can’t get the same heavenly taste and smell without Chervil, there are a few ways to use at least some of what it brings to the table. I like to use an equal amount of chopped parsley and chopped tarragon. Some people like to add a little dill or chives, but I don’t like it when those flavors are too strong. Still, a few chopped fennel fronds can make the magic even stronger if you have a fennel bulb on hand.

Even though they come from the same family, parsley is not a good substitute for Chervil. I like parsley, but it has a stronger taste than Chervil. In other words, parsley will be more noticeable, while Chervil will add a more subtle herbaceous note to a dish. I wouldn’t say you can’t use one instead of the other in a recipe, but you should know that parsley doesn’t have the same flavor as Chervil, so your dish won’t taste “the same.” People mostly cook with chervil leaves, but you can also eat its flowers and seeds. The flowers and seeds of Chervil taste similar to anise, just like the leaves. In recipes, they can be used instead of chervil leaves. The flowers and leaves can also be used to make juice or tea.

Benefits of Chervil

Here are the benefits of Chervil

  • Acting as a natural digestive aid, helping settle the stomach
  • Acting as a mild stimulant and mood-lifter
  • Reducing fluid retention/edema, as it acts as a natural diuretic to increase urine discharge
  • Treating menstrual cramps
  • Treating coughs and acting as an expectorant since it facilitates secretion of mucus from the respiratory system
  • Lowering high blood pressure
  • Helping reduce hiccups when combined with vinegar
  • Managing gout symptoms
  • Supporting joint health
  • Supporting liver function
  • Treating pockets of infection (abscesses)
  • Relieving eczema symptoms, hemorrhoids, cellulite, and varicose veins may also help reduce redness, swelling, injuries, and scars affecting the skin, which is why it’s found in some natural skin cleansers, lotions, and blemish treatments.
  • Treating irritation of the eyes

Conclusion

Young Chervil, along with baby basil, arugula, and other herbs, is in a group called “microgreens” or “micro herbs.” These are used as garnishes, toppings, and accents; in some situations, they are used instead of parsley. You can buy them at specialty grocery stores and farmers’ markets. Chervil isn’t easy to find outside specialty stores, unlike its related herbs, parsley, and cilantro.

Chervil, which grows in the spring, will be available at different times depending on the weather. If it’s not grown in a greenhouse, it grows from spring to early summer in cooler climates. In warmer places, it may appear at the end of winter or the beginning of spring.