Ingredient: Thyme
Category: Herbs, Spices & Seasoning
Season: All
Thyme (Thymus) is a genus of about 350 species of aromatic perennial herbaceous plants and sub-shrubs to 40 cm tall, in the family Lamiaceae and native to Europe, North Africa and Asia.
The stems tend to be narrow or even wiry; the leaves are evergreen in most species , arranged in opposite pairs, oval, entire, and small, 4-20 mm long.
Thyme is used most widely in cooking.
Thyme is a basic ingredient in Spanish, French, Italian, and Turkish cuisines, and in those derived from them.
It is also widely used in Lebanese and Caribbean cuisines.
Thyme is often used to flavour meats, soups and stews.
It has a particular affinity to and is often used as a primary flavour with lamb, tomatoes and eggs.
Thyme, while flavourful, does not overpower and blends well with other herbs and spices.
In French cuisine, along with bay and parsley it is a common component of the bouquet garni, and of herbs de Provence.
In some Middle Eastern countries, the condiment za'atar contains thyme as a vital ingredient
Fresh, Powdered, and Dry
Thyme is sold both fresh and dried.
The fresh form is more flavourful but also less convenient; storage life is rarely more than a week. While summer-seasonal, fresh thyme is often available year-round.
As with bay, thyme is slow to release its flavours, so it is usually added early in the cooking process
Fresh thyme is commonly sold in bunches of sprigs. A sprig is a single stem snipped from the plant. It is composed of a woody stem with paired leaf or flower clusters ("leaves") spaced ½ to 1" apart.
A recipe may measure thyme by the bunch (or fraction thereof), or by the sprig, or by the tablespoon or teaspoon.
If the recipe does not specify fresh or dried, assume that it means fresh.
Depending on how it is used in a dish, the whole sprig may be used (e.g. in a bouquet garni), or the leaves removed and the stems discarded.
Usually when a recipe specifies 'bunch' or 'sprig', it means the whole form; when it specifies spoons it means the leaves.
It is perfectly acceptable to substitute dried for whole thyme.
Leaves may be removed from stems either by scraping with the back of a knife, or by pulling through the fingers or tines of a fork. Leaves are often chopped.
Thyme retains its flavour on drying better than many other herbs.
Dried, and especially powdered thyme occupies less space than fresh, so less of it is required when substituted in a recipe.
As a rule of thumb, use one third as much dried as fresh thyme,a little less if it is ground.
Substitution is often more complicated, because recipes can specify sprigs and sprigs can vary in yield of leaves. Assuming a 4" sprig (they are often somewhat longer), estimate that 6 sprigs will yield one tablespoon of leaves.
The dried equivalent is 1:3, so substitute 1 teaspoon of dried or ¾ tsp of ground thyme for 6 small sprigs. |