tarragon

Dictionary: tar·ra·gon   (tăr'ə-gŏn', -gən)

1. An aromatic Eurasian herb (Artemisia dracunculus) having linear to lance-shaped leaves and small, whitish-green flower heads arranged in loose, spreading panicles.
2. The leaves of this plant used as a seasoning.

[New Latin tarchon, from Medieval Greek tarkhōn, from Arabic ṭarhūn, perhaps from Greek drakōn, dragon, tarragon.]

A herb of the genus Artemesia in the aster family (Asteraceae) that is used as a spice. Tarragon is often divided into French and Russian types. French tarragon can be distinguished by its highly aromatic leaves, low seed set or fertility, and compact growth habit. Due to its long history of vegetative propagation to preserve its fine scent characteristics, French tarragon has all but lost its ability to form viable seeds. Russian tarragon does produce seeds, but the plant is much lower in overall oil content and is not as fine-scented.

Tarragon is a perennial that grows in one season, and then dies back to the ground with frost. In spring the plant sprouts from underground rhizomes and resumes its growth. The leaves contain volatile oil with an odor similar to anise and chervil. See also Asterales; Spice and flavoring.

Leaves and flowering tops of the bushy perennial plant Artemisia dracunculus. Has a mild anise-like flavour and is used to flavour pickles; it is one of the ingredients of fines herbes. Tarragon vinegar is made by steeping the fresh herb in white wine vinegar and is used in making sauce tartare and French mustard.

[TEHR-uh-gon; TEHR-uh-guhn] Narrow, pointed, dark green leaves distinguish this perennial aromatic herb known for its distinctive aniselike flavor. Tarragon is widely used in classic French cooking for a variety of dishes including chicken, fish and vegetables, as well as many sauces, the best known being béarnaise. It's also an integral ingredient in various herbal combinations such as fines herbes. Tarragon is available fresh in the summer and early fall and year-round in dried and powdered forms. Care should be taken when using tarragon since its assertiveness can easily dominate other flavors. Tarragon vinegar is a popular item in gourmet markets. See also herbs.

For more information on tarragon, visit Britannica.com.

"Dragon's wort" redirects here. For other uses, see Dragonwort.

This article is about the perennial herb. For the 1999 power metal album, see Taragon. For the Canadian theatre company, see Tarragon Theatre.

Tarragon
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Asterids Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Tribe: Anthemideae Genus: Artemisia Species: A. dracunculus
Binomial name
Artemisia dracunculus L.

Tarragon or dragon's-wort (Artemisia dracunculus L.) is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae related to wormwood. Corresponding to its species name, a common term for the plant is "dragon herb." It is native to a wide area of the Northern Hemisphere from easternmost Europe across central and eastern Asia to India, western North America, and south to northern Mexico. The North American populations may however be naturalised from early human introduction.

Tarragon grows to 120-150 cm tall, with slender branched stems. The leaves are lanceolate, 2-8 cm long and 2-10 mm broad, glossy green, with an entire margin. The flowers are produced in small capitulae 2-4 mm diameter, each capitulum containing up to 40 yellow or greenish-yellow florets. (French tarragon, however, seldom produces flowers.^[1])

Contents 1 Cultivation 2 Health 3 Usage 3.1 Culinary use 4 References 5 External links

Cultivation

Dried tarragon leaves

French tarragon is the variety generally considered best for the kitchen, but cannot be grown from seed. It is normally purchased as a plant, and some care must be taken to ensure that true French tarragon is purchased. A perennial, it normally goes dormant in winter. ^[1] It likes a hot, sunny spot, without excessive watering.^[1]

Russian tarragon (A. dracunculoides L.) can be grown from seed but is much weaker in flavour. ^[1]

However, Russian tarragon is a far more hardy and vigorous plant, spreading at the roots and growing over a meter tall. This tarragon actually prefers poor soils and happily tolerates drought and neglect. It is not as strongly aromatic and flavoursome as its French cousin, but it produces many more leaves from early spring onwards that are mild and good in salads and cooked food. The young stems in early spring can be cooked as an asparagus substitute. Grow indoors from seed and plant out in the summer. Spreading plant can be divided easily.

Health

Tarragon has an aromatic property reminiscent of anise, due to the presence of estragole, a known carcinogen and teratogen in mice. The European Union investigation revealed that the danger of estragole is minimal even at 100-1000 times the typical consumption seen in humans.^[2]

Usage

Culinary use

Tarragon is one of the four fines herbes of French cooking, and particularly suitable for chicken, fish and egg dishes. Tarragon is one of the main components of Béarnaise sauce. Fresh, lightly bruised sprigs of tarragon may be steeped in vinegar to impart their flavor.

Tarragon is used to flavor a popular carbonated soft drink in the countries of Armenia, Georgia and, by extension, Russia and Ukraine. The drink—named Tarhun (pronounced [tarˈxuːn], թարխուն, Тархун), which is the Armenian, Persian and Russian word for tarragon—is made out of sugary tarragon concentrate and colored bright green.

Cis-Pellitorin, an isobutylamide eliciting a pungent taste, has been isolated from Tarragon plant.^[3]

In Slovenia, tarragon is used as a spice for sweet pastry called potica.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} McGee, Rose Marie Nichols; Stuckey, Maggie (2002). The Bountiful Container. Workman Publishing. 
2. ^ Surburg, Horst; Johannes Panten (2006). Common Fragrance and Flavor Materials: Preparation, Properties and Uses. Wiley-VCH. pp. 233. ISBN 9783527607891. 
3. ^ Gatfield IL, Ley JP, Foerstner J, Krammer G, Machinek A. Production of cis-pellitorin and use as a flavouring. World Patent WO2004000787 A2

External links

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Artemisia dracunculus
• NRCS: USDA Plants Profile: Artemisia dracunculus
• Flora of Pakistan: Artemisia dracunculus

Look up tarragon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - estragon(eddike)

Nederlands (Dutch)
dragon

Français (French)
n. - estragon

Deutsch (German)
n. - Dragon, Estragon

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) τραχούρι, εστραγκόν

Italiano (Italian)
dragoncello

Português (Portuguese)
n. - estragão (m) (Bot.) (planta aromática)

Русский (Russian)
растение, употр, для приправы пищи

Español (Spanish)
n. - estragón

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - dragon (bot.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
龙嵩, 龙嵩叶

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 龍嵩, 龍嵩葉

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 타라곤(시베리아 원산 쑥 속)

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - タラゴン, タラゴンの葉

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ألطرخون‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮טרגון - תבלין לסלט, לענה (מסוג מסויים)‬

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