As the customs may bar a live plant from entering the country, I
would need to find it within. First, what’s the Chinese name for the
common sage?
Google translated sage as 鼠尾草. Baidu added 可做调料.So far, so good.
Then Wikipedia showed the herb’s scientific name as Salvia officinalis.
Baidu 百科, however, said 鼠尾草’s latin name was Salvia japonica, which
from the web looks quite different from the common sage which came from
the Mediterranean. Wikipedia says S. japonica is native to East and South Asia.
基维百科 gave the correct latin name for 鼠尾草，but that seemed it.
Not a single line was written in Chinese about the herb and not a
single link was provided there. So besides its name and maybe Scarborough
Fair, the Chinese knew nothing about the plant?
7grizzly 发表评论于
Baidu names 鼠尾草 S. japonica but describes it as if it were S. officinalis.
7grizzly 发表评论于
Just looked them up: "Black sage" is Salvia mellifera and "white sage" is Salvia apiana. Both are native to the U.S. and Mexico. Only the "common/garden sage," i.e., S. officinalis, is used in cooking.
It is interesting that Baidu 百科 says 鼠尾草（S. japonica) is from the Mediterranean or "原产于地中海地区", while Wikipedia says S. japonica is "native to several provinces in China and Taiwan." :-)))
I cook once a week the Italian dish 'sausage and beans' which calls for sage.
I began to grow it with a starter in 2020. More details can be found in this post https://blog.wenxuecity.com/myblog/64243/202006/42548.html.
I'd like to be able to enjoy the dish when I visit somewhere, e.g., China, and wondered how to get the herb there, which led to this post. Maybe unbeknownst to me, it's already growing in there. Or I just have to bring dried leaves with me.
暖冬cool夏 发表评论于
You tend to discuss how to grow it in China. Sounds more interesting. Maybe one day we can strike rich by planting it there:)
暖冬cool夏 发表评论于
Like “洋苏草” better:)) though 鼠尾草is more commonly translated.
Sage is so often seen in the wilderness that we can tell black sage from white. I would very much to know how you grow at home and how you use for cooking. We both love the fragrance, bold and refreshing.
