AROMATIC PLANTS - Yves Rocher Ethnobotanical Collection

As early as the Neolithic era, people used salt to season their food as the technique of boiling food in water diminished the natural flavour of the food.

It was in China, around 3000 BC that people started using certain vegetables to enhance the flavour of their daily meals.

Circa. 1500 BC, in Egypt, recipes preserved on papyrus confirmed the use of aromatic plants in cooking.  As for the Indians, they had already perfected the art of making curry c.2000 BC.

Ancient Romans and Greeks used enormous amounts of herbs, spices and condiments in their cooking.

By the end of the Middle Ages, cooking had become a veritable culinary art form and thus employed the use of many aromatic plants originating from the Mediterranean basin.

The most common plant families in this group are the: Lamiaceae, Rutaceae, Lauraceae, Apiaceae, Myrtaceae and some asteraceae.  There are around 120 species of aromatic plants commonly used throughout Western Europe. 

The use of condiments transforms the necessity of nourishing ourselves into a pleasurable experience.