Thyme is a low, woody Mediterranean shrub with tiny, intensely aromatic leaves. Warm, earthy and slightly medicinal, it survives long cooking and drying better than almost any other herb.
What it is¶
Thyme is a genus of several hundred species of small, woody-based perennials, most of them native to dry, stony ground around the Mediterranean. The cook's thyme is common thyme (Thymus vulgaris), a bushy subshrub 15–30 cm tall with grey-green leaves a few millimetres long. Others in the kitchen include:
- Lemon thyme (Thymus × citriodorus): gentler, with a clear lemon scent; good with fish, chicken and in sweet things.
- Wild or creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum and relatives): mat-forming, milder, native to much of Europe including Britain.
- Caraway thyme (Thymus herba-barona): traditionally used with beef.
What is sold as za'atar in the Levant is usually a mixture of wild oregano-like plants, and the blend of the same name uses thyme or oregano with sesame and sumac.
Origins and history¶
Thyme was used by the ancient Egyptians, reportedly in embalming, and by the Greeks, who burned it as incense; the Greek thymon may derive from a verb meaning to make a burnt offering or to fumigate, though the etymology is not settled. Romans used it to flavour cheese and wine. In the Middle Ages it became associated with courage, and sprigs were said to be embroidered on or given to knights, a story repeated often but hard to document.
Its antiseptic reputation had a real basis: thymol, first isolated in the eighteenth century, was widely used as an antiseptic and is still found in some mouthwashes. In the kitchen thyme became a pillar of French cooking, part of the classic bouquet-garni, and travelled to the Caribbean, where it is now indispensable.
Flavour and aroma¶
Thyme is warm, earthy and savoury, with a sharp, almost medicinal edge from thymol — the same compound that dominates ajwain — and a little clove and pepper. It is robust: the essential oil sits deep in tough little leaves, so thyme releases its flavour slowly in long cooking and keeps a good deal of it when dried. Lemon thyme swaps some of the thymol bite for citrus.
In the kitchen¶
Thyme is a herb for the beginning of cooking rather than the end.
- Stews, stocks and braises: whole sprigs in a bouquet-garni, with bay and parsley stalks; boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin, cassoulet, oxtail.
- Roasts: sprigs under a chicken or joint of lamb, or pushed into slits with garlic.
- Vegetables: roast roots, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions and ratatouille.
- Caribbean: fresh thyme with Scotch bonnet, allspice and spring onions in jerk marinades, rice and peas, curry goat and soups. See caribbean-cuisine.
- Blends: herbes de Provence, za'atar and Cajun and Creole seasonings.
To strip fresh thyme, hold the top of a sprig and run finger and thumb down against the direction of growth; the tender tips can be used whole. Dried thyme is roughly twice as strong as fresh by volume: use one teaspoon dried for a tablespoon of fresh leaves.
Buying and storing¶
Fresh thyme keeps a week or two wrapped in paper in a bag or box in the fridge. It dries well — hang bundles in a warm, airy place, then strip and store in a sealed jar away from light. Whole dried leaves keep their aroma for about a year; ground thyme fades within months.
Substitutes¶
oregano and marjoram are close relatives with similar compounds; summer savory is the nearest in character. Herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning work in stews. In Caribbean dishes there is no good alternative to fresh thyme.
Pairs well with¶
Chicken, lamb, beef, game, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, beans, lemon, garlic, bay, rosemary, sage, parsley, allspice, Scotch bonnet and red wine.
Growing your own¶
Thyme wants what it gets at home: full sun, poor, very free-draining soil and not much water. Heavy, wet ground in winter kills it faster than cold. Grow it in gravelly beds, raised beds, between paving or in terracotta pots with a gritty compost (add a third horticultural grit).
Buy plants or take softwood cuttings in spring or early summer; seed is slow and variable. Trim plants lightly after flowering to keep them compact, but do not cut into old bare wood, which rarely resprouts. Thyme plants become woody and sparse after three or four years and are best replaced. Bees love the flowers.