Revisit - Absinthe - The A to Z of French Herbs

In this special revisit episode of Fabulously Delicious: The French Food Podcast, we return to one of our most loved series — the A to Z of French Herbs — to rediscover a plant that’s as intriguing as it is bold: Absinthe, also known as wormwood. Far more than just the legendary green spirit, this herb has a rich history in French cuisine, medicine, and folklore. From ancient Greece to the cafés of Paris, absinthe has left its unmistakable mark on culture and gastronomy.

We’ll explore wormwood’s origins, from its growth in North Africa and Eurasia to its medicinal use dating back to 1552 B.C. Discover how it found its way into drinks like vermouth and bitters, spiced mead in the Middle Ages, and even became a natural pesticide in organic gardens. Along the way, we’ll uncover its myths, its medicinal risks, and its reputation as both a healing tonic and a dangerous indulgence.

Absinthe’s influence in French cuisine is equally fascinating. You’ll hear how chefs have used it to season meats, fish, oysters, and escargot, as well as in a striking 1889 creation — Absinthe Sorbet — served to celebrate the unveiling of the Eiffel Tower. We’ll also discuss its place in art and literature, from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to its infamous association with bohemian Paris.

So pour yourself a glass of wine, slice some baguette, and join me for this deep dive into the bitter, aromatic world of absinthe. Whether you’re a longtime listener or discovering the A to Z of French Herbs for the first time, this episode is a journey into the flavours, stories, and culinary magic that make French food so endlessly captivating.

Transcript

Bonjour et bienvenue! This is Fabulously Delicious, The French Food Podcast — the podcast that celebrates the rich and delicious world of French cuisine.

Starting today, and each Sunday going forward, we’re taking a stroll down memory lane with a special series of revisit episodes. These episodes give some of our favourite stories and topics another moment in the spotlight — because French food is worth celebrating again and again.

And what better place to begin than with one of our most loved series — the A to Z of French Herbs. Whether you’re hearing it for the first time or rediscovering it, this series explores the herbs that bring depth, character, and unmistakable flavour to French cuisine.

Today’s herb? Absinthe — not just the famous drink, but the herb itself, also known as wormwood. It's a plant with a fascinating past and a unique place in the world of French food, medicine, and lore.

So, pour yourself a glass of wine, slice up some cheese and baguette, and enjoy this journey into the world of French herbs — starting with Absinthe — right here on Fabulously Delicious: The French Food Podcast.

Absinthe is not just a dish that we talked about with the fabulous Forest Collins from 52 Martinis but also the name for the herb which is also known as wormwood, grand wormwood, absinthium, mugwort, wemout, wermud, wormit or wormod. 

Spelt A B S I N T H E is pronounced Absint in French. 

So what is Absinthe or Wormwood? Well is is a herb thats grown in North Africa and regions of Eurasia as well as now Canada and North America. 

Although it is used as an ingredient in the popular drink Absinthe and other spirits as well it is mostly used as an ornamental plant. 

Absinthium comes from ancient greek and is related to Artemis who was the goddess of the hunt and protector of the forest and children. 

The term wormwood is supposedly from Middle English, wormwode or wemode. Middle English is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. Some thought though the origin of wormwood is from the ancient use of the plant to expell parasitic worms from the body by either stunning or killing them. 

So what is absinthium? It is a herbaceous perennial plant that has fibrous roots and who’s stems are straight and grow to over a metre tall. It’s leaves are a greenish-grey colour with a white belly so to speak. It producers a silky silvery-white trichomes which producers oil from its glands. 

Absinthium or wormwood also producers a pale yellow tubular flower that clusteres together and bends down towards the ground. Flowering of the Absinthe plant occurs from early summer to early autumn with the  pollination occurring through the wind. It is grown in full sun in rich, light, sometimes limestone soil or dry soil. 

Most commonly Absinthe is used as an ingredient in the spirit that has the same name Absinthe. But Wormwood as it is also known is also the ingredient in other spirits and wines including bitters and vermouth. 
 
It’s also used for medicinal purposes as an ingredient in medicine used for treating dyspepsia and also Crohn’s disease. 

During the middles ages absinthe was used to spice mead and in Morocco is was an ingredient in a tea known as sheeba. 

Wormwood was mostly used as a bittering spice in brewing throughout eastern and northern Europe and in the 18th century is was sometimes used instead of hops in the process of making beer. 

It has also been used in the making of pesticides throughout the years and recently has been seen as a modern organic alternative for pest control from the clippings being used to repel lice, mights and fleas in chicken nesting boxes to being distilled to produce an oil that can be used in making an organic pesticide. As a companion plant Absinthe can be also benefical to an organic vegetable garden although it also has a growth inhibiting effect so needs to be planted safely at least one metre away from any growing vegetables. 

The drink has been said to have halleucentative properties when drunk and this is associated to the ingredient wormwood. Whilst there is a componenet of absinthium in it called thujone which can cause convulsions and death when administered in large amounts to both animals and humans. There is only on documented case of toxicity from wormwood when a 31-year-old man who drank 10 mL of steam-distilled volatile oil of wormwood, wrongly believing it was the liqueur absinthe. 

Long before it gained popularity as the star ingredient in absinthe, wormwood was used medicinally. The first recorded use of wormwood in medicine dates back to 1552 B.C., and absinthe itself was initially used to treat illness. 

The flavour of Absinthium is extremely bitter and can aid in being a good tonic and can promote digestion and also apprentely make menstruation less painful it is said. Absinthium also contains tannins and vitamin C. It’s also said to be good at deworming, not the most pleasant use I’d say. But alarmingly it also can have an abortive effect for pregnancy so consumption must be carefully thought through if you are going to be cooking or eating wormwood as a natural product. In fact during the mid 20th century Absinthium was nickednamed “the grass of virgins” because of this abortive properties. 

William Shakespeare referred to wormwood in his Romeo and Juliet play, act 1 scene 3 when he wrote that Juliet’s childhood nurse had said “For I had then laid wormwood to my dug” meaning that she had weaned juliet, then aged three, by using the bitter taste of wormwood on her nipple.

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Now in modern times the European Medicines Agency has recognised Absinthe medicinal properties and noted that it’s a herb rich in natural ingredients, powerful antioxidants that protect cells from free radicals. But shouldnt be consumed for more than two weeks as an infusion and is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding. 

The first version of the drink Absinthe created in 1789 by a French doctor Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland was actually developed for medicinal purpose. It seems Dr Ordinaire was not your ordinary doctor I’d say.

Absinthe the herb is used in recipes these days for herbal teas, the dried herbs used to season red meat, fish, oysters, escargot, omelets and cheese. Famed chef Hugues Droz who is the youngest French chef ever awarded a micheling star said that he uses  absinthe leaves to ad perfume to stuffings and also putting the final touches on a plate of escargot that he tops with an absinthe drink infused sauce. 

French cuisine has been using the herb for centuries and most notably in the dish Absinthe Sorbet that was created as a palate cleanser during the 1889 dinner to honor Gustave Eiffel’s new creation the Eiffel Tower. 

The ingredients for this sorbet are 500mls of water, 300g sugar, juice of an orange and a lemon, 20g fresh absinthe leaves and 100mls of absinthe. Place half the water with the sugar in a saucepan over low heat stiring until combined and cooking for 10 minutes. Then add the absinthe leaves and let this sit to infuse until the mixture has cooled. Remove the leaves and add the juice of the orange and lemon and the remain water. Freeze this overnight, remove and place in a blender and blend then place in the freezer overnight again. Serve a icecream scoop serving of the sorbet with some absinthe poured over the top. 

And that’s it for this revisit episode of Fabulously Delicious: The A to Z of French Herbs — Absinthe. I hope you enjoyed diving into the fascinating story of this bold and bitter herb, and perhaps even discovered a new way to appreciate its place in French culinary tradition.

We’ll be continuing our journey through the alphabet of French herbs each Sunday, so be sure to tune in weekly as we explore more flavours, stories, and surprises from the French kitchen garden.

If you loved this episode — or know someone who might — please share it with your friends and family. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to Fabulously Delicious wherever you’re listening so you don’t miss a single delicious moment.

You can also find me on Instagram @andrewpriorfabulously for more French food inspiration, and on YouTube at youtube.com/andrewprior for cooking tips, travel, and plenty of fabulous French moments.

Merci for listening — and as I always say, whatever you do, do it fabulously.

Bon appétit, and à bientôt!