The market · Herbs and aromatics · Northern and Central Europe, The Middle East
Dill
Feathery fronds that taste fresh and faintly of anise — the herb of the Baltic and the Nordic table.
fresh · grassy · anise
What to do with it
PersianKuku sabziA thick, deep-green frittata that's mostly herbs, bound with just enough egg, often with barberries and walnuts.No one here has made it yetPersianAsh reshtehA thick soup of beans, chickpeas, lentils, herbs and flat noodles, topped with kashk, fried onions and dried mint.No one here has made it yetTurkishDolmaVegetables hollowed and filled, or vine leaves rolled, round rice with herbs and spices and sometimes meat.No one here has made it yet
GeorgianTkemaliA sour plum sauce with garlic, dill, coriander and chilli — Georgia's ketchup, for meat and potatoes.No one here has made it yetGreekSpanakopitaSpinach and feta with spring onion and dill, baked in crisp layers of filo — as one big pie or small triangles.No one here has made it yetGreekTzatzikiThick strained yoghurt with grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil and dill or mint — cold, sharp and made for grilled meat.No one here has made it yet
Nordic and Baltic ryeGravlaxRaw salmon cured for a few days under salt, sugar and dill, sliced thin and served with a sweet mustard sauce.No one here has made it yetNordic and Baltic ryeLohikeittoA creamy Finnish soup of salmon, potatoes and leek in a light stock, with plenty of dill and whole allspice.No one here has made it yet
GeorgianTkemaliA sour plum sauce with garlic, dill, coriander and chilli — Georgia's ketchup, for meat and potatoes.No one here has made it yetGreekSpanakopitaSpinach and feta with spring onion and dill, baked in crisp layers of filo — as one big pie or small triangles.No one here has made it yetGreekTzatzikiThick strained yoghurt with grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil and dill or mint — cold, sharp and made for grilled meat.No one here has made it yetNordic and Baltic ryeGravlaxRaw salmon cured for a few days under salt, sugar and dill, sliced thin and served with a sweet mustard sauce.No one here has made it yetNordic and Baltic ryeLohikeittoA creamy Finnish soup of salmon, potatoes and leek in a light stock, with plenty of dill and whole allspice.No one here has made it yetKinds
- Fronds
- Soft leaves, for finishing — potatoes, cucumber, cured fish.
- Flowering heads
- Dill crowns: for pickling cucumbers.
- Seed
- Sharper and more caraway-like.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Supermarkets; big bunches cheaply from Polish, Turkish and Iranian grocers.
- Worth knowing
- Heat kills it. Add it at the last moment.
Kitchens that keep it in
Georgia — the South Caucasus, between the Black Sea and the CaspianGeorgianWalnuts ground into sauces, fistfuls of fresh herbs, cheese breads and sour plums — cooking made for long tables and long toasts.10 classicsGreece — the mainland and islands of the Aegean and Ionian SeasGreekOlive oil poured freely, lemon and oregano, wild greens and sheep's cheese, and fish grilled by the sea — food for sharing, slowly, outdoors.10 classicsPolandPolishCold-climate cooking of grains, potatoes, dairy and ferments — sour things, soured things, and dumplings for every occasion.10 classics · 1 cooked hereScandinavia, Finland, the Baltics and northern GermanyNordic and Baltic ryeWhere rye grows better than wheat, bread is dark, dense, sour and made to last — the base of the open sandwich and the everyday table.9 classics · 1 cooked here
