Lemon Verbena

I've yet to cook with lemon verbena - South America's answer to lemon myrtle - although I may have experienced it in sorbet while on holiday.

Lemon verbena plant	Lemon verbena leaves and flowers	Lemon verbena leaves

Species:	Lippia citriodora.
Origin:	South America.
Source:	Lemon verbena is native to Chile and Peru.
Used Part:	Leaves, best used fresh.
Family:	Verbenaceae (verbena family).
Effect:	Lemon verbena has an unusually pure, fruity lemon note that is more intense than many other lemon-scented herbs.
Etymology:	Genus name lippia is a tribute to French physician and explorer Augustin Lippi (1678-1701). For etymology of the species name citriodorus, see lemon myrtle. The obsolescent species name triphyllus "with three leaves" refers to the arrangement of the leaves on the stem, with three leaves formed at each node (Greek treis "three" and phyllon "leaf").
	The genus name aloysia, now obsolescent, was supposedly given in honour of Maria Luisa Teresa de Parma (1751-1819), wife of King Carlos IV of Spain. Some foreign names of lemon verbena contain an element referring to Louise, e.g. Spanish hierba Luisa "herb of Luisa", Slovak Alojzia citrónová "lemon Luisa", Greek Louiza and Hebrew Luiza.
	The common name "verbena" derives from the Latin verbena "leafy branch", also the genus name for plants including vervain, chaste and Mexican oregano.
Uses:	The flavour of lemon verbena is very pure and fresh and, of the many lemon-scented plants, only lemon myrtle comes close. Only 100 years ago, lemon verbena was a common ornamental in European gardens, but today it is rarely planted. The herb's culinary use has also declined, although it should be stressed that lemon verbena has never been an important herb in European cookery.
	Like many other lemon-scented spices, lemon verbena is often suggested to flavour fish stews and soups and it is also a good accompaniment for poultry. Its main application, however, is the flavouring of sweets, desserts and drinks.
	Lemon verbena, like lemon balm, has a strong affinity to fresh fruits with the subtle lemon flavour nicely emphasising and reinforcing the natural aroma of the fruit. Thus lemon verbena can be used to give fruit salads an unusual touch, chopped leaves can be sprinkled over a fruit bowl or freshly prepared fruit juice garnished with one or two leaves of the plant. Other applications include fruits sorbet and any processed dessert based on fruits, e.g. ice cream.
	Genus lippia contains about 200 species from the African and American tropics, of which l. graveolens "Mexican oregano" is most important as a new-world substitute for oregano. Another culinary relative is l. dulcis "Aztec sweetherb" contains an effective sweetener and has an aromatic flavour reminiscent of camphor or liquorice. Species l. adoensis is native to Eastern Africa and has a sweet aroma dominated by linalool and is used as a culinary spice in Ethiopia where it is known by the Amharic name koseret. Being unavailable outside of Africa, it is usually substituted by linalool-rich "Mediterranean type" basil cultivars.