Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium [L.] Hoffm.)

Used plant part

Leaves. They are nearly always used fresh, but can be preserved by deep-freezing or by making a pesto-like preparation (see basil).

Plant family

Apiaceae (parsley family).

Sensoric quality

Sweet and aromatic, somewhat intermediate between parsley and anis. On other spices with a similar fragrance, see cicely.

Main constituents

The plant contains only traces of essential oil (0.03%); about its composition I have not found substantial references.

Origin

Probably Southern Europe or the Caucasian region.

Etymology

Anthriskos is the Greek name of this plant; the species name cerefolium means "leaves like wax" and might refer to the bright green color, but is more possibly a spelling mistake for cherifolium (Greek chairephýllon), the name the Romans used for this plant (Greek chaírein "to delight in" and phýllon "leaf", referring to the pleasant aroma of the leaves). Cherifolium is also the source of the modern names in English, French, German and Italian.
 

Chervil is popular in Central and Western Europe; the fresh leaves are chopped and added to soups, salads and fish dishes, much in the same way as parsley or coriander leaves. Herbal vinegar usually containes a few leaves of chervil (see dill for details). Chervil is popular in Germany and appears in the Green Sauce, see borage. See peppermint for an example of chervil usage in Austria.

Chervil is one of the five components of the French fines herbes, a composition of fresh herbs used in France for decoration of cold and warm dishes (see chives). Lastly, fresh leaves frequently appear in bouquet garni (see parsley), although their fragrance does not tolerate long cooking periodes very well.

The dried herb is less aromatic than the fresh, but many compositions of the French herbes de Provençe contain dried chervil (see lavender).

In North European countries, chervil is often substituted by a related herb, cicely or Spanish chervil, which has a stronger, anis-like aroma.