An herb of the Parsley family. The root is used as carrots are used, but the leaves are used whole or dried for garnishing salads.
Chervil is a traditional pot-herb, that is, an herb used to flavour soups and sauces. The herb’s name is an ancient one, extending back to the eighth century in English, and back even further in the classical languages. The ultimate source of chervil is the Greek khairephullon, meaning rejoice-leaf. Sometimes chervil is also called cicely, a name that derives from what the ancient Romans once called the plant, seselis. When this alternate Latin name was adopted by English in the mid sixteenth century, it was initially spelt seseli; before long, however, it came to be spelt cicely as people confounded it with the unrelated Cicely, a pet form of the personal name Cecilia. Incidentally, related to the word chervil is the word phyllo, as in phyllo pastry, a kind of Greek strudel: the word phyllo, like the last half of khairephullon, derives from the Greek phullon, meaning leaf, phyllo pastry being exceptionally thin and leaflike.
A delicate-looking plant possessing lace-like foliage and miniature white blossoms, yielding a mild taste akin to parsley with a slight hint of tarragon and licorice. This herb, also referred to as straight-leaf parsley, finds use in the French blend of “fines herbes” and proves to be a versatile ingredient in dishes containing eggs, cheese, meat, vegetables, soups, and salads.
Chervil is a widely used herb in French cuisine and is a key ingredient in the classic ‘fines herbes’ mixture used for omelets. This herb is a member of the carrot family and is characterized by its feathery leaves, which turn a deep shade of purple in the fall. The entire plant has a distinct aroma of aniseed. Chervil is commonly employed in salads, sometimes in combination with tarragon, and is also used to flavor soups and stews.