Tarragon

Scientific

Artemisia dracunculus is in Asteraceae (the daisy family) — same genus as [[artemisia-afra]] ([[artemisia-afra|African wormwood]]), Artemisia absinthium (wormwood; the source of absinthe’s name), and Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort).

Two principal cultivar forms with dramatically different culinary value:

• French tarragon (A. dracunculus var. sativa) — strongly anise-flavored; the only form worth using in French cuisine; sterile and must be propagated by cuttings or division
• Russian tarragon (A. dracunculus var. inodora) — much milder, often nearly flavorless; fertile; commonly sold as cheap seed — and almost always disappointing

The active aromatic is estragole (also called methylchavicol) — the same compound that flavors basil and (to a lesser extent) anise.

Cultural and culinary

Tarragon is one of the four canonical fines herbes of French cuisine, alongside [[parsley]], [[chives]], and chervil. Foundational uses:

• Béarnaise sauce — the classic French sauce; tarragon is the defining aromatic
• Tarragon vinegar — leaves macerated in white wine vinegar; a French pantry staple
• Sauce vierge, sauce ravigote — French chilled sauces relying on tarragon
• Tarragon-[[mustard|mustard]] — French Dijon [[mustard|mustard]] variants
• Chicken Diable, chicken tarragon — countless French chicken preparations

Russian estragon lemonade and Tarkhuna (a green tarragon-flavored Georgian soft drink) are non-French regional traditions using milder tarragon forms.

See also

Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.

• Shares approach with: [[parsley]] · [[chives]]
• Member of: [[plants]]
• Cousin of: [[artemisia-afra]]

Sources

• Wikipedia — Tarragon

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A plant entry in the 0mn1.one [[directory]].