![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodwordcostmary (KOST-mair-ee) - n., an Asia herb (Chrysanthemum balsamita or Tanacetum balsamita, or Balsamita vulgaris) closely related to the tansy used as a pot-herb and to flavor ale.
Has a bitter taste, so go lightly on it in stews. Its use in brews has since be supplanted by hops. The name means costus of (Saint) Mary, where costus is another, related herb Saussurea lappa known to the Romans and Greeks -- costmary was not introduced to western Europe till the middle ages.
---L.
Has a bitter taste, so go lightly on it in stews. Its use in brews has since be supplanted by hops. The name means costus of (Saint) Mary, where costus is another, related herb Saussurea lappa known to the Romans and Greeks -- costmary was not introduced to western Europe till the middle ages.
---L.
