Herbes de Provence are an aromatic blend composed of several herbs native to the Mediterranean region. We find plants growing mainly in Provence such as Savory, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary and Basil.
For centuries these herbs were gathered in the wild, today they are produced and cultivated. Although picking for personal consumption is of course still possible in Provence.
The herbs of Provence, assembled according to the traditional mixture, are labeled Label Rouge, the composition is precise and it is available as follows: 26% Savory, 26% Oregano, 26% Rosemary, 19% Thyme and 3% Basil.
The quality of the mixture determines the care attached to the drying and packaging of the producer. Indeed drying is delicate, it must of course allow the plant to dry but also to know how to keep its green color. Poorly dried rosemary will very quickly turn brown or even black. Herbes de Provence is a veritable painting for shades of green: the almost emerald green of Rosemary, the ash green of thyme, the olive green of Savory, the dark green of oregano with its silvery reflection.
With this care given, you must also be quick to obtain optimal drying: neither too weak because the herbs risk becoming moldy, nor too strong otherwise they will crumble. An attentive producer will know how to freeze the colors of his herbs in order to deliver them to you. Although bathed in the sun, your dried Provence herbs should reflect freshness!
Did you know that very few Provençal herbs come from Provence?
At least 90% of the Provençal herbs that we find do not come from Provence. In fact, the name “Herbes de Provence” is not protected, so it is entirely possible to find herbs from Provence having grown in Eastern Europe or the Maghreb. This does not necessarily mean (the shortcut would be too easy) that the product will be of poor quality, but that its traceability will be difficult and that the journey of its importation may have distorted its taste.
It remains difficult to know if Provence herbs come from Provence, the only information that can help you: If this is not indicated, then you have the guarantee that it comes from elsewhere.
Thyme de Provence has just obtained (June 2018) a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) over a vast territory passing through Provence and going up to the south of Drome and Ardèche. It thus protects the origin of Provence Thyme.
Carvacrol and Terroir, a link?
Beyond the geographical protection, Provence thyme has a content of at least 15% Carvacrol (this is a condition of the IGP specifications) while other thymes not coming from Provence have a often lower content. This is a typical regional feature. Although its name is not necessarily very poetic, you know Carvacrol, or rather you remember its smell, its flavor: it is this warm, resinous, spicy and powerful taste that we find in thyme but also Oregano or Savory. Provence thyme naturally has this high rate due to the rocky, dry and hot soils on which it grows. This regional and taste characteristic is now protected.
Like Thyme, the terroir always influences the original products. This is what makes the strength of authentic regional products.