The Prince of Wales, later King George IV of England (1762–1830), was famous for his extravagant lifestyle. Once, when he was – not for the first time – fighting for his life, his chef Marie-Antoine Carême put him on a strict diet, with tarragon the only seasoning allowed. George IV did indeed recover, and as a sign of his gratitude he gave the man who saved his life a gold tobacco tin. La Quintinie, gardener to the French King Louis XIV (1638–1715), considered tarragon to be one of the most aromatic herbs, and the French poet and gourmet Alexandre Dumas (author of The Three Muskateers) even went so far as to claim that vinegar without tarragon wasn’t vinegar at all.

Tarragon’s actual country of origin is unknown. It is presumed to originate from the Siberian steppes and Mongolia, and to have been introduced to Eastern Europe and the Middle East in the course of mass migration. The Islamic doctor and philosopher Ibn Sina (980–1037) reported that Persians chewed raw tarragon before meals in order to stimulate their appetite. To this day, the young shoots are served raw or cooked as an hors d’oeuvre in the Middle East. Tarragon was finally brought to Western Europe by the Crusaders, but initially the herb was not at all popular. It was only in 1536 that the botanist Ruellius wrote that tarragon made a quite delicious salad, requiring no additional salt or vinegar as it already contained the taste of both.

Tarragon is – like southernwood and wormwood – a member of the Asteraceae family of plants. The leaves go well with green salads or fine, pale sauces (such as Béarnaise), with marinades and mustard, and also add flavour to fish, mushroom, vegetable and poultry dishes. But be warned: so-called Russian or German tarragon (Artemisia dracunculoides) is darker in colour (the leaves have a silvery shimmer), has a harsh, grassy taste and is much less aromatic than ‘true’ or French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)!