Essential Oils: One breath is enough!

Carefully, Monika Werner opens the tiny bottle. Immediately, fragrance spreads throughout the room. It smells so much of sage, as if it grew right here in the kitchen. We get hungry. "See?" Smiles the cook, "it works ..." Monika Werner is a naturopath and aromatherapist. For three years she lives and works in the south of France. In Montjoi, a tiny picture-book village in the heart of the department of Aude. Sage, rosemary, thyme, roses and elder are growing in their paradise garden, above a deep gorge from which the sound of the Orbieu River can be heard. An ideal environment for an aromatherapist.

But it's not the fragrant garden herbs that make us sit down at Monika Werner's dining table tonight. We should taste what to do with the essential oils of these and many other plants in the kitchen. Dozens of small bottles are kept in her suitcase by Monika Werner. Each contains the aromatic essence of an entire field - and is accordingly precious. For example, for ten milliliters of the sage oil that we have just tasted, 20 kilos of flowering plants need to be processed - from specialized distilleries. For a single drop of rose oil you need 30 flowers, of course from organic farming. "Essential oils contain the soul of a plant," says Monika Werner. "That's why they are so strong."

This effect can be used therapeutically. But also cosmetically? we'll tell you more about essential oils and their effects. Or culinary, as Monika's menu is to prove us. There are: rosemary cookies with elderberry-cherry as an aperitif, then gnocchi with sage butter, then rosemary fish skewers, finally fresh goat's cheese with ethereal citrus flavors and dessert ice cream made for dessert.

"On the idea to spice up with essential oils, I came during my training as a naturopath," says Monika. As the oils not only work on the nose and skin, but also on the inside, the cooking was close. Rosemary, for example, is such an ideal kitchen oil: In the art of healing it is appreciated for its appetizing ingredients - and its fine taste characterizes the cuisine of southern France. An ingredient made for a Mediterranean starter. Monika needs only two drops for her cookie dough as an aperitif. In addition, small cut fresh rosemary needles.

To use herbs and the oils derived from them at the same time is a matter of course for Monika. "Such a fresh herb has, as everything is still, a different taste than the essence," she explains. The seasonings complemented each other. Of course you can use oil alone. This is especially useful in winter. And always when a fresh ingredient is difficult or poor quality.

Sounds easy. If you know the rules: "In the beginning I thought, flavor oils should be tasted - huge mistake! Once I took a drop too much cinnamon essence for a fruit salad, and then I could throw it away. " Ethereal oil is so intense that it quickly becomes penetrating.

It is best to put the oil on a wooden spoon first - instead of directly into the food. Thus, an accidental overdose can be avoided. "Sometimes I just use a glass rod, dip it into the essence, and the whiff that stays on it is used, the breath!" Beginners, she advises, experiment best with marinades or seasoning oils. "For a seasoning oil, you take the essential oil of the desired plant and mix it with edible oil - always on the same principle: on 50 milliliters of cooking oil about ten drops of essential oil and of this seasoning oil is a teaspoon in the food."

Essences of popular spice plants, such as basil or pepper, are particularly suitable for trying out. "Especially pepper oil has the advantage that it has the taste of the spice, but not its sharpness." Who uses essential oils in the kitchen needs carriers. Because the oils are not water soluble. Suitable carriers are all types of fat, including egg yolk, honey or sugar - and alcohol. Since the selection is so great.

And the health? "Always benefits!" Says Monika Werner. Basil oil, for example, awakens appetite and refreshment - an ideal appetizer. Sage oil has a calming effect on the nervous system - that's why it's good in rich dishes. For dessert we get goat cream cheese, which Monika bought from the farmer in the neighboring village. Over the cheese she gives a teaspoon of olive oil, flavored with tangerine oil (one drop to ten milliliters)."The stimulating citrus aroma should be enough to wake you up after the main course," she says. And for the second dessert: homemade rose ice cream.

For this she has enriched the sugar used in the ice-making process with two drops of rose oil and decorated the dessert with some unsprayed rose petals from the garden. After this ice cream we are in a really good mood. That could be due to the effect of rose oil. Or its delicious taste. Or both. But in the end it does not matter. Because cooking with essential oils is a treat. And if it's good for you, so much the better.

Some effects of essential oils in food

ginger (Zingiber offi cinale): appetizing, promotes digestibility

rosemary (Rosmarinus offi cinalis): appetite and circulation stimulating

Pepper green (Piper nigrum) and black pepper (also: Piper nigrum): cheer up and ensure good digestibility

coriander (Coriandrum sativum): relaxing and invigorating

basil (Ocimum basilicum): relaxing, encouraging, promotes digestibility

tangerine (Citrus reticulata blanco): mood-enhancing, stimulating and refreshing

Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi): stimulating, harmonizing

rose (Rosa damascena): harmonizing

sage (Salvia offi cinalis): makes heavy food easier to digest, calms down (sage oil should be dosed low because of its high monoterpene ketone content, two to three drops are unproblematic)

tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus): promotes digestibility, relaxes

Essential oils are available in pharmacies and health food stores or from the manufacturer, eg. Via Primavera (www.primavera.de)

Recipes with essential oils

gnocchi

To the recipe

In addition: sage butter. Heat 125 g of butter. Once it turns light brown, remove from heat, stir in 2 drops of essential sage oil, sprinkle over the gnocchi and mince Parmesan.