19 November 2012

Sage & the Attachment to Thanksgiving Turkey

Sage     

The all important herb for your Thanksgiving turkey.  Where does Sage originate?


Sage History from Wikipedia           




Salvia officinalis has been used since ancient times for warding off evil, snakebites, increasing women's fertility, and more. The Romans likely introduced it to Europe from Egypt as a medicinal herb.[4] Theophrastus wrote about two different sages, a wild undershrub he calledsphakos, and a similar cultivated plant he called elelisphakosPliny the Elder said the latter plant was called salvia by the Romans, and used as a diuretic, a local anesthetic for the skin, a styptic, and for other uses. Charlemagnerecommended the plant for cultivation in the early Middle Ages, and during the Carolingian Empire, it was cultivated in monastery gardens.[4] Walafrid Strabo described it in his poem Hortulus as having a sweet scent and being useful for many human ailments—he went back to the Greek root for the name and called it lelifagus.[5]
The plant had a high reputation throughout the Middle Ages, with many sayings referring to its healing properties and value.[6] It was sometimes called S. salvatrix (sage the savior), and was one of the ingredients of Four Thieves Vinegar, a blend of herbs which was supposed to ward off the plague. Dioscorides, Pliny, and Galen all recommended sage as a diuretic, hemostaticemmenagogue, andtonic.[5]

  1. 4 ^ a b Watters, L. L. (1901). An Analytical Investigation of Garden Sage (Salvia officinalis, Linne). New York: Columbia University.
  2. 5 ^ a b c Kintzios, Spiridon E. (2000). Sage: The Genus Salvia. CRC Press. pp. 10–11.ISBN 978-90-5823-005-8.


Sage and Turkey      

I cannot find a definite answer as to when Sage was first 
used with Turkey.  Sage as reading above you know it came 
from the Old World.  So it may or may not have been used 
with turkey right away. How ever I love the flavor of Sage 
with any poultry.  Rosemary add a great flavor too.

So did your Ancestors use Sage in their cooking?  My mom 
did not cook with it since my Dad does not like it.  So as an 
expermental cook I quickly learned of its great flavor.






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