Satureja is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. It is native to southern and southeastern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Historically, Satureja was defined broadly and many species of the subtribe Menthinae from throughout the world were included in it. In the modern cladistic era of botany, Satureja was redefined to a narrower monophyletic genus who's species are all native to Eurasia. Several species are cultivated as culinary herbs called savory, and they have become established in the wild in a few places.

Description

Satureja species may be annual or perennial. They are low-growing herbs and subshrubs, reaching heights of 15 - 50 cm. The leaves are 1-3 cm long, with flowers forming in whorls on the stem, white to pale pink-violet.

Ecology and cultivation

Satureja species are food plants for the larva of some Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). Caterpillars of the moth Coleophora bifrondella feed exclusively on winter savory (S. montana). Savory may be grown purely for ornamental purposes; members of the genus need sun and well-drained soil.

Uses

Both summer savory (Satureja hortensis) and winter savory (Satureja montana) are used to flavor food. The former is preferred by cooks but as an annual is only available in summer; winter savory is an evergreen perennial. Savory plays an important part in Persian, Armenian, Georgian, Bulgarian and Italian cuisine, particularly when cooking beans. It is also used to season the traditional Acadian stew known as fricot. The modern spice mixture Herbes de Provence has savory as one of the principal ingredients. In Azerbaijan, savory is often incorporated as a flavoring in black tea.

Species

Source:

Formerly in Satureja

Etymology

The etymology of the Latin word "satureia" is unclear. Speculation that it is related to saturare, to satyr, or to za'atar is not well supported. The ancient Hebrew name is Tzatrah צתרה.