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Sage

Sage as a herb gets its name the Latin Salvere, which stands for medicinal herb. Sage is an evergreen plant that belongs to the lipflower family, just like savory, rosemary and thyme. The leaves are used as a herb which is especially popular in Italian cuisine. Sage is a sturdy half-shrub that grows 40-90 cm high. The plant grows in thick bundles of branched, hairy stems. The leaves are thick and downy and have an oval shape with striking veins at the bottom. The colour of the leaves is silver-grey-green. The leaf edge is finely serrated and the stem bottom is woody.

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The origin of sage

Sage grows well on sunny mountain slopes in sunny, chalky soil. These places are mainly around the Mediterranean Sea. Especially the whole region along the Adriatic coast. The main production countries are Turkey, Russia, Greece and Albania.

The Verstegen sage comes from Turkey, because the best quality herbs and spices are grown in the areas of origin. You can recognize the quality of sage by the fresh, silver-grey colour of the leaves and the strong smell of wood and pine.

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Did you know that

the ancient Greeks and Romans used sage as a medicinal plant and meat preservative?

Did you know that

the Chinese loved sage tea? In the 17th century, Chinese traders exchanged 3 crates of Chinese tea with the Dutch traders for 1 crate of sage.

Sage in dishes

Sage is most commonly used in Mediterranean dishes, it has a pine-like, aromatic slightly bitter and spicy taste. For example, it is used as a pizza topping, in minestrone soup and in the meat speciality saltimbocca. Also the flavour of the herb goes well with fish and poultry. A well-known Italian dish is pasta con burro e salvia, or pasta with butter and sage.

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