herbes de provence

Herbes de Provence is a commercial standardization of the herb mixture Provençal cooks have always combined — the blend has no strictly defined composition, though thyme and savory are nearly universal. French law does not require specific contents for the name, leading to significant variation. The lavender in some blends (particularly those sold to tourists) can be overwhelming — quality herbes de Provence should be aromatic but not floral to the point of soap. The herbs work synergistically: thyme's thymol, rosemary's camphoraceous bornyl acetate, savory's peppery carvacrol, and marjoram's sweet terpinene-4-ol combine into something more complex than any single herb. Applied to lamb before roasting, the blend creates the herbed crust that is a classic of Provençal cooking — lamb's natural gaminess is complemented and softened by the Mediterranean herb character. Similarly effective on chicken thighs before roasting or grilling, on fish (white fish and salmon), and as the seasoning for ratatouille and tian.