The Different Varieties of Culinary Sage

While nearly all common varieties of sage are potentially attractive additions to an herb garden, not every sage cultivar is really meant for culinary use. While around a dozen sage cultivars are routinely used in the kitchen, the most popular varieties of culinary sage are common sage, fruit sage and pineapple sage.

Common Sage

Common Sage, or Salvia officinalis, is the basic sage that has been cultivate throughout Europe for culinary and medical uses for thousands of years. While their are numerous applications for common sage in the kitchen, the classic pairing for sage is chicken. If you are new to cooking with sage, try roasting a whole chicken with fresh garlic and whole, crushed common sage leaves inserted into one inch cuts made into the chicken's eat before cooking. To become familiar with the general taste of sage so that you can know what you are getting into when experimenting in the kitchen, consider preparing a tea infusion out of your fresh sage flavored with honey. As for gardening, be aware that there are many cultivars of common sage to choose from based on what foliage and care requirements best suit your garden, but generally all of these cultivars are perfectly suitable for use in the kitchen.

Fruit Sage

Fruit sage, or Salvia dorisiana, is an entirely separate species of sage that is native to Honduras. This evergreen sage is a great addition to the home herb garden that will expand into a dense shrub of three to four feet in height if it grown in a climate that has a fairly mild winter. As suggested by its name, fruit sage has a strong aroma of fruits that is most easily described as a cross between a peach and a grapefruit. Fruit sage can be dried in a cool room and used anytime of the year to give dishes a little zest that will have your guests puzzling over what that tasty but unidentifiable flavor could possibly be.

Pineapple Sage

Pineapple sage, or Salvia elegans, is another separate species of sage that has tropical origins and a very refreshing scent. As you might expect, pineapple sage has an aroma that smell like you have just cut into a fresh pineapple and makes for a great little trick to mix into fresh summer salads. Pineapple sage also has striking, bright red flowers that make this sage species an excellent candidate for use as an ornamental plant.

Sources:

The Sage Garden. Lovejoy, Anne. Chronicle Books: San Francisco.
http://www.floridata.com/ref/S/salv_ele.cfm