Juniper (Juniperus communis L.)

 

Dried juniper "berries"

Used plant part

The berry-like cones. They take two years to mature.

Plant family

Cupressaceae (cupress family).

Sensoric quality

Aromatic with a sweet accent, similar to the South American pink pepper. See also licorice for a discussion of sweet spices.

Main constituents

Apart from up to 33% sugars and 10% resin, juniper berries owe their use in the kitchen to an essential oil (0.2 to 2%, dependent on provenance). The essential oil is mainly composed of monoterpenes: 80% alpha- and beta-pinene, thujene, sabinene, 5% terpinene-4-ol, alpha-terpineol, borneol and geraniol; sesqiterpenes (alpha- and beta-cadinen, caryophyllene) are found in traces.

Origin

Several species of the genus Juniperus grow all over temperate Europe and Asia.

Etymology

The Latin name of the plant, iuniperus, is of dark origin; possibly, it is a Celtic loan. English, French, Spanish, Italian and other names derive thence.

The German name Wacholder (of which Machandel is a variant) contains a stem which might be related to wachsen "grow" (cf. English wax "increase"), but is more probably derived from the Indo-European root WEG- "weave, web" (cf. English veil, wick), since its branches have been used for weaving. Incidentially, the same root also lies behind English wax as in beewax.

The Germanic tree suffix d(e)r, as seen in Wacholder, appears in several other German plant names. At the bottom lies Indo-European DERU with the basic meaning "tree, particularly oak" and the derived meaning "strong, firm, reliable". This is a very prominent root, which hardly any Indo-European language is free of: Gothic triu "tree, wood", Sanskrit daru "piece of wood; wooden tool", Greek drys "tree, oak", Old Irish daur "oak", Russian derevo "tree", Latvian darva "tar", furthermore Latin durus "strong, robust", Lithuanian drutas "thick, strong" and Old English trum "strong, firm". Examples from Modern English include tree, tray, tar, true and trust.
 

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Unripe juniper berries.

Juniper is an important spice in many European cuisines, especially in Alpine regions, where juniper grows abundantly. It is the only example of a spice in the botanic group of the coniferae, and also one of the few examples of spices from cold climatic regions, though the best quality stems from Southern European countries.

Juniper is much used in the traditional cuisine of Central Europe, e.g. for the Southern German speciality Sauerkraut. For its preparation, fresh cabbage is preserved by lactic fermentation and seasoned with juniper, caraway and maybe a few bay leaves. The taste then develops during aging in large wooden barrels. Sauerkraut can either be eaten raw (as a kind of salad), or be cooked or fried (often together with small cubes of ham) to be served as a side dish; there are also dumplings stuffed with it.

Juniper's main application is, however, meat; it is felt indispensable for venison and combines well with black pepper, marjoram and laurel berries. Juniper berries, rightly called cones, should be crushed immediately before use.

Although harmless to healthy people, their use is discouraged for people with kidney weakness and pregnant women.