Myrtle is a fragrant Mediterranean evergreen shrub whose leaves and dark berries flavour Sardinian mirto liqueur, spit-roast suckling pig, game and Corsican cooking.
What it is¶
Common myrtle is a dense, aromatic evergreen shrub of the Mediterranean macchia (maquis), the scrubland of hot, dry hillsides. It has small, glossy, pointed leaves that release a clean, resinous scent when crushed, fluffy white flowers with a starburst of stamens in summer, and in autumn round, blue-black berries the size of a pea (a white-berried form also exists).
Both parts are used. The leaves and branches behave like a cross between bay leaf and rosemary: they are used whole to perfume roasts and grills and are removed before serving. The berries, sweet, resinous and slightly bitter, are the basis of Sardinia's famous liqueur, mirto, and can be dried and used a little like juniper.
Several unrelated plants share the name: bog myrtle (Myrica gale), once used to flavour beer in northern Europe, and lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) of Australia, a citral-rich leaf with a very different flavour.
Origins and history¶
Myrtle has been prized around the Mediterranean since antiquity. It was sacred to Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans) and was used in wreaths, wedding garlands and religious rites; that association with love and marriage explains the old custom of including a sprig of myrtle in bridal bouquets, a tradition still followed at British royal weddings. In Judaism, a myrtle branch (hadass) is one of the four species carried at the festival of Sukkot.
Roman cooks used myrtle berries as a seasoning, particularly before black pepper became common, and Roman writers mention sausages and wines flavoured with myrtle. See spices in the ancient world.
The culinary tradition is strongest today on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, where myrtle grows wild in abundance and is gathered from the scrub rather than cultivated.
Flavour and aroma¶
The leaves are resinous and aromatic, with a eucalyptus-like cooling note from 1,8-cineole, a pine freshness and a faint peppery edge. They are bitter if chewed, so they are used for infusing and scenting.
Ripe berries are sweet at first, then resinous and bitter, often compared to juniper or a blend of juniper and blackcurrant, with a light astringency. Dried berries are more concentrated and more peppery.
In the kitchen¶
Myrtle is used much as bay leaf is: generously as a perfume, rarely as something to eat.
- Mirto. Sardinia's national liqueur. Mirto rosso is made by macerating the ripe dark berries in alcohol for several weeks, then sweetening with sugar or honey syrup; it is deep purple, bittersweet and resinous, and is served chilled after meals. Mirto bianco is made from the young leaves and shoots (or from white berries) and is paler and more herbal. Corsica makes a similar liqueur, liqueur de myrte.
- Porceddu. Sardinian spit-roasted suckling pig (porceddu or su porcheddu) is cooked slowly over a fire of aromatic woods, often including myrtle, and then laid on a bed of fresh myrtle branches as it rests, so that the hot skin and fat absorb the scent. At home, lay a roast pork joint on myrtle sprigs for its last 15 minutes and rest it on them.
- Pollo al mirto. A Sardinian dish in which a boiled chicken is wrapped in myrtle leaves while still hot and left to cool, absorbing their aroma; it is eaten cold.
- Corsican cooking. Myrtle perfumes grilled and roast meats, wild boar stews and game; the dried berries and leaves turn up in charcuterie and pâtés, and the berries in sweets and preserves.
- Grilling. Throw a few leafy branches on the embers under lamb, pork, sardines or game birds, or use stripped woody stems as skewers.
- Dried berries. Crush a few (roughly 1 teaspoon per 500 g of meat) into a rub for game or pork, as you would juniper.
💡 Fresh branches for smoke
Myrtle wood and leaves burn with an aromatic smoke. Use green branches over dying coals rather than a fierce fire, or they will simply flare and turn acrid.
Buying and storing¶
Outside the Mediterranean, fresh myrtle comes from your own bush or a friend's; the leaves keep for a week or so in the fridge in a bag. The leaves dry well: hang branches in a warm, airy place, then strip them into an airtight jar for up to a year. Dried berries keep a similar time. Bottles of mirto are sold in Italian delicatessens and online. See drying herbs.
Substitutes¶
For the leaves, use bay leaf with a sprig of rosemary. For the berries, juniper is the closest equivalent, perhaps with a crushed allspice berry. There is no real substitute for mirto itself.
Pairs well with¶
Pork and suckling pig, wild boar, lamb, game birds, chicken, sardines and other oily fish, juniper, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, garlic, honey, citrus peel and red wine.
Growing your own¶
Myrtle is not fully hardy, but in the milder parts of the UK, particularly the south and west and coastal and urban gardens, it grows happily outdoors against a sunny, sheltered wall. It can be damaged in hard winters, especially by cold, drying winds. The compact subspecies M. communis subsp. tarentina is slightly hardier and is good for pots and low hedges.
- Position. Full sun and shelter, in well-drained soil. It tolerates coastal conditions well.
- Pots. In colder areas, grow it in a large container of loam-based compost and move it into a cold greenhouse or porch in the worst of winter.
- Pruning. Trim lightly after flowering; it takes clipping well and can be shaped into a hedge or topiary.
- Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer.
- Berries. Fruit sets reliably only after a long, warm summer.