"The pungent and lingering aromas of familiar kitchen herbs oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, bay, lavender, mint seem purposely made to donate their landmark volatiles to our everyday lives and food. In fact, their design is not for domestic calm and onion basket or fridge drawer neglect, but for uncultivated wilds. In particular the limestone terrain of the Mediterranean, where their defining smells are hardcore chemical defences, with every small, tough leaf or needle loaded with enough volatiles to deter both predators and competitors."
"Rosemary is particularly kick-arse in this respect, with those volatiles (mostly organic compounds called terpenoids) synthesised and stored in minuscule glands that project from the surface of each dark green needle, which breaks when brushed against or bitten, releasing an intense, hot, bitter shot. It's the evergreen equivalent of carrying personal defence spray. The needles also mark territory. By leaking their volatiles into the nearby soil, they inhibit the seeds of other plants (maybe even their own) from taking root"
Kitchen herbs such as oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, bay, lavender and mint produce pungent volatile compounds adapted for wild Mediterranean limestone terrain. Those volatiles, mainly terpenoids, serve as chemical defenses concentrated in small, tough leaves or needles. Rosemary stores terpenoids in minute glands on each needle that rupture when disturbed, releasing an intense hot, bitter aroma akin to a personal defense spray. Rosemary volatiles also seep into soil and inhibit seed germination of neighboring plants. An onion-and-garlic basket often holds bay leaves and rosemary branches. Rosemary's pine-eucalypt-camphor profile complements dark roasted, fruity, malty dark chocolate rounded by cream.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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