Rosemary is a true native of the Costa Blanca. The spruce-like herb was a sacred plant for the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, and it plays an important role in Spanish cooking to this day. It is said to improve memory. In any case, it is associated with both memories and fidelity. You can often find it on dry slopes, a little up from the sea. But if you are not quite sure what it looks like, it is best to buy it.
The Spaniards call it Romero. A bit funny really: The English name (rosemary) is closer to Latin than the Spanish word. In Latin, the plant with the long needle-like leaves is called Rosmarinus officinalis. By the way, the Spanish name Romero actually refers to a person on a pilgrimage from Rome.
The Romans have a long history on the Iberian Peninsula, and the herb grows wild around the entire Mediterranean. Under optimal conditions, it can grow to be one meter tall. The Romans themselves called the plant ros marinus, which translated into English becomes something like “sea dew”. And if you see a slope where rosemary grows, the name is quite understandable: the many small blue and bluish-white flowers are reminiscent of water droplets.
From ancient Egypt to modern Australia
But far beyond the Mediterranean, the herb that becomes a small almost wooden shrub when it grows in its natural environment, is associated with remembering both the living and the dead. The ancient Egyptians laid rosemary twigs on tombstones. And rosemary is associated with memories well into the European Middle Ages and all the way to modern times. Bridal bouquets, for example, often contained rosemary sprigs.
William Shakespeare uses floral symbolism in several of his plays, and rosemary as a symbol of faithfulness and memories appear in Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, among others. Theater audiences in London in the 17th century and people of today will hardly get the same associations to many of the flowers Shakespeare uses in his writing, but the symbolism with rosemary has remained astonishingly good.
For example, rosemary is still used in connection with the annual Veterans Day in Australia and New Zealand. “Anzac Day” was created after World War I to commemorate the many people from Australia and New Zealand who were wounded or killed in the terrible campaign at Gallipoli between February 1915 and January 1916. Forces from Britain and its colonies and France fought with disastrous results against soldiers from the Ottoman Empire at the Dardanelles in present-day Turkey. Australians still carry rosemary twigs on this day, April 25, to commemorate those killed in wars and conflicts into which the country has sent troops.
Rosemary and memories
Does rosemary really affect memory? The ancient Greeks seem to have thought so. Wise men in ancient Greece are said to have worn rosemary wreaths to do better on exams. And there is also modern research that suggests that rosemary can “go to people’s heads”. One of the experiments with rosemary and its effect on memory was led by Professor Mark Moss at the British University of Northumbria in 2013. In his study, steam from essential oils of rosemary were inhaled by 60 elderly subjects who experienced a moderate, yet measurable improvement in their abilities to remember events and to perform certain actions at specific times. (You can find a review of the study in English at the BBC here http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33519453 and in Science Daily: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130409091104.htm).
Once you get acquainted with the scent of rosemary, you will not forget it so easily. It is not without reason that rosemary for centuries has been used as an “air purifier” as an alternative to incense. The smell is relatively strong and aromatic, but pleasant. And may also be good for your memory.
Rosemary and food
We at FindYourSpain are not medics and have no idea about the effect of rosemary on health. What we do know is that it tastes good, and that it can hardly hurt to season a little extra with it. Admittedly, it does not take much rosemary to add some flavor to the food. Many people season lamb meat with rosemary, and it generally goes well with relatively fatty foods. But also in breads such as focaccia and in soups and stews, rosemary does well. Try rosemary in tomato soup or sauce. It also enhances everyday dishes such as baked root vegetables, boiled beans and marinated olives – and try it on fried potatoes. Romero tastes great in meat dishes where you would otherwise use bay leaves, but also acts as a light sprinkle on baked fish.
Bring home?
Want to bring a memory of sunny Spain back home with you to more northern latitudes? Rosemary is not very winter-hardy, but it thrives in sunny places in the garden or on the terrace in summer and can overwinter indoors in more northern climates.
If you want a wonderfully fragrant rosemary plant, it is best to bring a cutting, as you cannot import soil that can pose a risk of contamination. Cut off a sprig from a young shoot (i.e. one that has not yet grown a brown stem), 5-8 cm long. If you cut the stem a little at an angle, you get a larger cut surface through which the plant can absorb water and nutrients. This makes the young plant more robust. Wrap the cutting in damp paper or similar and store in a plastic bag until you arrive in the cold North. You get the best results if you take a cutting in the spring while the rosemary is growing well.
Remove the leaves from the lower 2/3 of the stem and stick it into a pot filled with well-drained, moist soil. Cover the pot with a plastic bag and place it somewhere, out of direct sunlight. When you see new growth on the cutting, remove the plastic and move the plant to a sunny, warm place. Then all you have to do is wait for your “romero” to get big enough to use in the kitchen and think of Spain every time you eat it.
PS: Rosemary plants can of course be bought in supermarkets. But we have experienced more than once that “supermarket plants” are often weak and difficult to keep alive over time. They seem quite hard “driven” by the manufacturer and are best suited to be used in a short time. There are also several varieties of rosemary, which taste somewhat different. You have to find out for yourself which one is sold in your local supermarket. Remember, it is the “native” Rosmarinus officinalis which is traditionally considered an herb with medicinal effects.
Anne B., Find Your Spain!
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