Chervil is a delicate, lacy annual of the carrot family with a sweet, subtle flavour of parsley and aniseed. A key part of French fines herbes, it wilts quickly and must be added right at the end.
What it is¶
Chervil is a small, short-lived annual with finely divided, fern-like, pale green leaves, thin stems and tiny white flowers in loose umbels. It looks like a delicate flat-leaf parsley and tastes like a cross between parsley and tarragon. It is also called French parsley or garden chervil.
It belongs to the same family as dill, parsley and coriander, and to the same genus as cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris), the frothy white roadside plant of British spring. Turnip-rooted chervil (Chaerophyllum bulbosum) is a different plant, grown for its root.
Origins and history¶
The Romans are generally credited with spreading chervil through Europe, and it was grown in medieval gardens. Its genus name comes from the Greek anthriskon, and its species name is often explained as "cheering" or "rejoicing leaf" (from Greek chairephyllon), which fits its spring arrival.
It became closely tied to spring and Easter: in Germany a chervil soup (Kerbelsuppe) was traditionally eaten on Maundy Thursday, Gründonnerstag. Its greatest home is France, where it is one of the four fines herbes and a standard garnish in classic restaurant kitchens. Outside France and the Low Countries it remains relatively little known, partly because it travels and keeps so badly.
Flavour and aroma¶
Chervil is subtle: a soft, sweet greenness like young parsley, a gentle aniseed or liquorice note (it shares estragole with tarragon and basil) and a faint peppery finish. Its aroma is very volatile, disappearing with heat, drying and even a few days in the fridge. That fragility is its charm; used generously and fresh, it brings a delicate sweetness no other herb quite matches.
In the kitchen¶
Chervil belongs with delicate, spring-like food, used by the handful and added at the last moment.
- Fines herbes: with parsley, chives and tarragon in omelettes, with fish, chicken and in butter sauces.
- Béarnaise: often added with the tarragon at the end.
- Soups: French and Belgian chervil soup, based on potato and stock, with the chervil stirred in just before serving; vichyssoise.
- Eggs and salads: scrambled eggs, omelettes, salade mesclun (whole sprigs), potato salad.
- Fish and vegetables: poached white fish, scallops, carrots, peas, asparagus, broad beans.
- Garnish: whole sprigs, which look like tiny green lace.
Pick the leaves and thinnest stems from the tougher main stalks, and use them whole or roughly chopped. Chopping finely in advance loses flavour fast.
Buying and storing¶
Chervil wilts quickly and is hard to find in shops. Buy it bright and perky, wrap it loosely in damp paper towel in a box, refrigerate and use within two or three days. It does not dry well; the dried herb is almost flavourless. Chopped chervil can be frozen in butter or ice cubes for sauces and soups, though it loses its fine texture.
Substitutes¶
Flat-leaf parsley with a small amount of tarragon gives the best approximation — about three parts parsley to one of tarragon. Young fennel fronds or a few dill tips also work. In fines herbes, use more parsley and tarragon if chervil is unavailable.
Pairs well with¶
Eggs, white fish, scallops, chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas, asparagus, broad beans, butter, cream, parsley, chives, tarragon and lemon.
Growing your own¶
Chervil is a cool-season herb. Sow direct, in partial shade and moist, fertile soil, from March to May and again from August to October; in hot, dry sun it bolts within weeks. It resents transplanting, so sow where it is to grow or in pots, and thin to 15–20 cm. Seed needs light to germinate, so barely cover it.
Leaves can be picked six to eight weeks after sowing. Sow every few weeks for continuity. Autumn sowings often last through mild winters, especially under a cloche. If a few plants are left to flower, chervil self-seeds.
Health and safety¶
Chervil is safe to eat, but its relatives include deadly plants such as hemlock (Conium maculatum) and fool's parsley (Aethusa cynapium), and even cow parsley can be confused with them. Never forage wild "chervil" or cow parsley without expert identification. See poisonous-lookalikes and foraging-wild-herbs.