Mitsuba Japanese Chervil Herb

Japan (native wild herb; cultivated in Kyoto and throughout Japan; the definitive clear soup garnish herb in Japanese cuisine)

Mitsuba (三つ葉, 'three leaves', Cryptotaenia japonica) is Japan's most important fresh herb — a delicate green with thin stems and trifoliate leaves with a flavour profile combining celery, parsley, and mild anise. It is irreplaceable in suimono (clear soup) as a garnish, in chawanmushi as an aromatic element, and in sashimi as a palate-brightening herb. Unlike most Western herbs which can withstand some cooking, mitsuba's volatile aromatics are extremely heat-sensitive — it must be added at the very last moment or left entirely raw to preserve its characteristic bright, clean fragrance. In suimono, a sprig of mitsuba is placed in the bowl immediately before service; the hot soup releases its aroma but the leaves should remain barely wilted. Mitsuba is available in three forms: nishoku (grown in soil, darkest, most flavourful, slightly bitter); kitte (blanched or lightly shaded, paler green, softer texture); and water mitsuba (grown hydroponically, lightest colour and most delicate flavour). The plant is also used raw in sunomono dressed salads, wrapped around sushi, and as a tying material for small bundles of ingredients in kaiseki presentations. Its cultural significance is as the herb of elegance and restraint in Japanese cooking.

Bright, clean, slightly celery-like with mild anise note; its fragrance is released by warmth rather than cooking; the smell of Japanese clear soup