Lemon balm is a herb I used to associate more with the medicine cupboard than with the kitchen, but it is a versatile spice and one of an exciting group of lemon-scented herbs. I now use it professionally.
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Lemon balm plants | Lemon balm leaves | Dried lemon balm |
| Species: | Melissa officinalis. |
Origin: | Probably Western Asia. |
Source: | Lemon balm is found across a wide area from the Mediterranean to Central and Eastern Europe and Western Asia. |
Used Part: | Leaves. |
Family: | Lamiaceae (mint family). |
Effect: | Refreshing, like lemon or lemon grass. |
Etymology: | The word balm is a shortened form of balsam, derived from Latin balsamum "balsam tree", which was also used for plant's resin "balm of Mecca". The ultimate source of the word is Old Hebrew bōshem (modern Hebrew bossem) which denotes the balsam tree commiphora opobalsamum and its resin, but also means "fragrance" or "spice" in general. |
The Latin species name melissa was coined in the Middle Ages from Greek melisso-phyllon "bee-leaf" because the plant is rich in nectar and commonly planted to feed bees. That name is akin to Latin mel "honey" and also the British term for orange rind jelly, "marmalade". Similar associations referring to bees are found in several European languages, e.g. Dutch bijenkruid and Hungarian méhfű. The Chinese xiang feng cao means "fragrant bee plant" and the English "bee balm" refers to the related plant bergamot, monarda didyma. | |
The Bulgarian name matochina refers to the bee feeding quality of lemon balm, with Bulgarian matitsa "queen bee" derived from the Slavonic mat' "mother" (modern Bulgarian majka), a similar derivation to Czech meduňka, Slovak medovka and Croatian matičnjak. | |
Because of the prominent lemon fragrance, many names of balm contain an element referring to that citrus fruit, often with emphasising character, as in German zitronenmelisse. In other cases the lemon element is essential in the name which translates to "lemon plant" or similar, e.g. Portuguese erva-cidreira, Hungarian citromfű, Italian erba limona and Dutch citroenkruid. In the same spirit are the names Ukrainian lymonna trava "lemon-grass" and Arabic rihan al-limun "lemon-basil". | |
The Spanish name of lemon balm, toronjil, appears to be related to Arabic turijan "lemon balm" and perhaps utruj "citron". Note, however, that Spanish toronjil morado "purple lemon balm", refers to agastache mexicana, another herb of the same plant family which has a superb lemon fragrance. The latter plant is in English often termed "Mexican giant hyssop" or "lemon hyssop", although it is no more related to hyssop than it is to lemon balm. | |
Swedish hjärtansfröjd "heat's delight" probably refers less to lemon balm's pleasant fragrance and more to the use of lemon balm against nervous heart diseases in folk medicine. The same holds true for the German local name herztrost. | |
In Japanese, lemon balm is known as seiyō-yama-hakka. This formidable compound can be broken down to hakka "mint" which is augmented by the element yama "mountain". The second prefix seiyō means "foreign". Incidentally, seiyō-hakka is the Japanese equivalent of English "peppermint". | |
The species name officinalis refers to a "drug", "medicine" or "plant". | |
Uses: | Lemon balm is used more as a medical herb than as a spice and in past times was much used against stomach ailments and nervous conditions. It has some value as spice because of its fresh and pure lemon taste, which makes it a perfect substitute for fresh lemon grass or, in dried form, sassafras. |
In Central Europe, lemon balm is sometimes used to flavour sweet drinks. The leaves make an interesting decoration on many dishes and may be used generously by those who like the aroma. Lemon balm fits best to fish, poultry and salads and can be used to supplement any dish containing lemon juice in order to obtain a more intensive lemon aroma. If available, the fresh leaves are preferred. True lovers of this herb may want to try a pesto made of lemon balm leaves instead of basil. Although lemon balm is not one of the traditional "seven herbs" used for Frankfurt green sauce, it is a recommended addition to the traditional recipe. | |
Lemon balm has a great affinity with fresh fruits (especially apples) and is sometimes found in apple-based desserts. Balm can also be used to flavour other fruits, fruit salads or fruit-based desserts. Because herbal vinegar is mostly made from apple vinegar, it may benefit from a few balm leaves. | |
