From Nordic pea soup to upscale spice mixes, from home cooking to the finest French cuisine – thyme is indispensable in the kitchen, but also offers a fascinating journey into cultural landscapes and a history that stretches over thousands of years. On the Costa Blanca, thyme grows wild, often on dry slopes. It may be tempting to bring a sprig or two for use in the next meal, or perhaps to ease a cough or strengthen the courage like a knight from the Middle Ages?
Where does thyme belong?
Thyme is just as comfortable in Nordic farm food as in the finest French cuisine. A French bouquet garni, is unthinkable without thyme (bouquet garni undeniably sounds a little nicer than the Norwegian “soup broom”, but is basically the same thing): A small collection of herbs that can vary slightly in composition, but which traditionally at least contains bay leaf, parsley and thyme. The “soup broom” is added to soups and stews, but removed before the dish is eaten.
Thyme is a frugal, evergreen perennial. It rarely grows more than 25-30 cm high and prefers sandy and calcareous soils. It does not need much fertilizer, the soil where thyme grows should preferably be a bit arid. It thrives best in full sun, and it can withstand drought. No wonder there are large amounts of wild thyme on the white coast, the Costa Blanca.
By the way, the name thyme is used as a collective term for around 40 different varieties. The classic and most widely used is garden thyme (Thymus Vulgaris), and it belongs to the area around the western Mediterranean. These days it has beautiful, cream-pink flowers. (The Latin word Vulgaris means common or ordinary and not vulgar as in the everyday sense of the word.)
Despite the fact that the thyme genus is generally fond of hot and dry weather, some varieties survive as far north as Scandinavia. But there they stay low as the names of the local and far more hardy varieties suggest: creeping thyme and ground thyme grow in the wild all the way up to northern parts of Norway. The many varieties at least partly explain why thyme is found both in modest, Nordic home cooking and as a standard ingredient in, among other things, Herbes de Provence and the Arabic spice za’atar.
From its “core area” around the western Mediterranean, however, garden thyme has become one of the most common herbs worldwide. What makes it and other subspecies of thyme so popular?
Ancient Egypt and a Swedish chemist
In ancient Egypt, thyme was used in the embalming of deceased pharaohs and other prominent members of the elite. The plant contains the strong bactericidal substance thymol.
Egyptians who lived thousands of years ago were well aware of the properties of thyme that prevent fungal and bacterial growth, although the active ingredient, thymol, was not isolated and scientifically proven until 1719. By the way, a Swedish chemist, Oskar Widman, was the first to produce synthetic thymol in 1882.
Before antibiotics were invented, it was common in many parts of the world to use thyme in wraps and bandages to prevent infections. In the Nordic countries, tea made of thyme, Icelandic moss and sage was used to ease lung disease and coughs.
During the thousands of years thyme has been known to mankind, it has never gone out of fashion, and that is not only because of its wonderful smell and taste, but it is also beautiful to look at and attracts bees which in turn provides for larger crops. Thyme and thymol are to this day ingredients in a number of products you may not immediately associate with the herb. Mouthwash, toothpaste, insecticides, medical and more everyday hand sanitizers – there are a number of products on sale that contain thymol as an active ingredient.
But thyme is also associated with much less well-documented claims through the centuries. Although who knows, maybe there is something in them too? We will leave that decision up to you.
European Middle Ages: thyme for courage
The ancient Greeks may have been the first to come up with this: They are said to have used thyme sprigs in their bath water and burned the herb as incense in the belief that it could purify the air and increase human courage.
The Romans brought with them both thyme and their knowledge of and belief in its properties, as they expanded through Europe – all the way north to the British Isles. The used thyme as an air purifier and as a spice in cheese, other foods and liqueurs. (By the way, you can buy thyme liqueur in several countries today, and the active ingredient thymol is supposed to be very effective when dissolved in alcohol.)
In the European Middle Ages, women often gave knights and warriors gifts that included thyme leaves. The ancient Greeks’ belief that thyme gave courage and strength is found in Europe many hundreds of years after the heyday of both the Greek and the Roman Empires. For example, we know that in the 13th century and beyond, women embroidered thyme leaves and plants on soldiers’ clothing to give the wearer extra courage in combat.
Simon & Garfunkel and thyme magic
The effects of thyme on courage may be superstitious, but thyme is associated with magical powers in the Nordic countries as well. Maybe the ideas came from the British Isles with its many sailors? In any case, the poet Gabriel Scott writes that the creeping thyme that grows wild in southern Norway was even loved by the creatures living below the surface. Thyme’s association with supernatural powers and forces can be found in several places on the European continent.
“Are you going to Scarborough Fair?” Most associate the famous ballad with the American 60’s and 70’s duo Simon & Garfunkel. The chorus reads: “Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.” Less well known is that this is actually an old folk song from the British Isles with roots dating back to the 17th century. And the symbolism in the herbs hardly went unnoticed by contemporary people: parsley was often associated with festivity, sage with wisdom, rosemary with fidelity and memories (see: Do you know rosemary?) and thyme with courage.
The right of public access and thyme
These days, thyme plants are in full bloom on the Costa Blanca. And it is tempting to pick a few leaves or sprigs. But in many places in southern Spain, thyme is a protected plant, so you are not always free to bring any of it home with you.
There is probably no punishment awaiting those who cut a sprig or two to bring home. The only case of prosecution we have heard of so far is a man from Murcia who was accused of grabbing 100 kilos of thyme from another man’s property. Thyme is like most herbs, light in weight – how much 100 kilos of thyme may be, we can hardly imagine, but the volume must have been considerable.
If you want to try some local Spanish thyme in your cooking, there are several options. You can of course buy thyme at the market, it is quite likely a local product. Thyme can also be grown from seed, they germinate willingly as long as you remember to sow them shallowly. The seeds should only barely be covered with soil. If you have secured a sprig of thyme, you can grow a new plant from cuttings. When roots develop, it won’t take long until you can offer home-grown thyme from your own garden or terrace for several years to come. Maybe the courage is greater, the cough less troublesome or the pea soup even tastier with local thyme? It could be fun to try at least.
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