Thyme

I believe that the essence of cooking is in right choice of the herbs. My herbal collection is quite small, but though some of them are essential for everyday cooking. In my house there's always parsley, dill, mint, marjoram, basil, cinnamon, oregano, cloves, bay, rosemary, saffron, chives and – thyme.

Thyme is one of my favourite herbs. History of this important Mediterranean herb dates back to Egyptians and antic Greeks and Romans. In Slavic languages thyme is named „mother's soul“ and indeed it is unavoidable in Mediterranean cuisine. Thyme became known in wider world thanks to French region Provence, famous by French Mediterranean food. Egyptians used thyme for mummifying, but today thyme is part of dukka, a spice mix of thyme, cumin, black pepper, sesame seeds and nuts. It was also used to produce perfumes. White monks made herbal teas to cure coughing and soar throat. Greeks and Romans put thyme in honey and vinegar to make energetic drink, ancestor of modern Red Bull, I suppose. Arabs believe thyme is good for concentration and learning.
France is today mostly known for using thyme in kitchen, but it is favourite herb in some other countries, including Creole cuisine in Louisiana. Dried thyme is used for sauces and meat. I always rub the meat before grilling with thyme. Fresh thyme has mild taste and goes perfectly with olive oil, tomatoes and other vegetables.
The best is to mix everything together. That is what I do with steaks. Thin beef stakes are grilled on both sides with olive oil for some minutes and afterwards placed in deep pan. Every steak is salted and covered with chopped garlic, parsley and thinly sliced tomatoes. Great amount of thyme is added and covered with additional olive oil. Meat is stewed for five or six minutes. After that add white wine, best of which is malvasia. On stronger fire stew until the wine is barely covering the meat. Serve warm, placing steaks first and then the sauce.